Time Travel: A Light and Shadow in the Past
by SasuLovesSaku4Ever
Summary: Sasusaku Time Travel Fic. Mostly Sakura centric - Sakura refused to allow her friends to suffer, she refused to let them get hurt again... Even if she had to go through the pain on her own. Hiding her secret going to the past through the gift of time travel, she changes the future.
1. Prologue: To Make a Decision

**Warning: I am only referring to the Naruto anime, I am not going along with the exact story line, and by the way, Tobi is Obito. This will be a two story fanfic – the sequel will be started after I finish this and I will update this fanfic to let you all know when the sequel will be posted. If you don't like this story, then don't tell me that and don't whine or complain. Just don't read it. I'm only writing to have fun. Not to perfect my English skill.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto – It wouldn't go on so long, and Sasuke would have already kicked the masked man's butt with Naruto, Itachi would have also come back from the dead to live with his little brother, or even never died in the first place, and Sasuke and Sakura would have already been a happy little couple with Itachi spying on then, even playfully teasing his little brother. I know. Totally out of character, right? That's about half the stuff I read. I just like the storylines. Personality doesn't really matter to me. Most of the characters actually can fit those types of personalities.**

**As for the characters, I'm not actually focused on getting their character right. I read a lot of fanfiction and just base my character off of what I read and like I said, if you don't like what I'm saying, then don't read this. Ok? Ok. – yes, you can probably tell I'm annoyed – I am.**

**Thanks for reading this - To those of you who like my fanfic.**  
**-SasuLovesSaku4Ever**

Legend:

"_Thought" (Goddess because underlining won't work with Italics on FF - for some reason)__  
_"Speech"_  
__**"Sakura's inner"  
**__**"Demon/Tailed Beast"**__**  
**_**"Emphasis"**

– Point of View P.O.V. – (Place)  
Chapter Number: Chapter Title

_**Title of Fanfiction: A Light and Shadow in the Past  
**_Rating: T (may change to M)  
Category: Sasusaku (romance and adventure)  
Couples: Sasusaku, Naruhina

* * *

_**A Light and Shadow in the Past**_

Prologue: To Make a Decision…

– Normal P.O.V. – (Valley of End, 4th Shinobi World War)

Time seemed to slow as the two boys ran at each other with their most powerful attacks in hand. Sakura stood and ran towards them as quickly as she could. She couldn't let them hurt each other… They were too important to her. She wouldn't survive without either of them…

So she would sacrifice herself instead…

The two boys were very close now. Meters apart from each other and she was meters away from them.

She could feel the swirling wind of the Rasengan and the shock from the Chidori.

They realized she was running at them and they both were shocked unable to pull back, having put too much force into their attack.

Sakura stood between them. She would welcome death, if it would stop them. She closed her eyes. "Sakura! NO!" A voice yelled in horror.

* * *

There was an explosion of pain from her chest area, and she coughed out metallic blood. She was facing her love life, embracing him. His hand driven straight through her chest while her best friend was behind her with his hand touching her back, the skin under it completely ripped apart. Sasuke pulled his hand back in horror, and blood poured from the wound.

Sakura smiled softly and closed her eyes slowly.

"S-sakura…?" Sasuke asked, afraid. Afraid that he had killed someone he had held precious to him. He was afraid of that feeling of losing something he never knew he had… He felt the connection… only for that second… As if all of her feelings had suddenly been sent to him through a link…

"Aishiteru… Sasuke… kun…" Sakura whispered lifting her hand up to his face. Her face was pale. Extremely pale. Naruto jumped back and gasped, looking at his hand in horror…

Sasuke's eyes widened in fear seeing the bloody smile… He felt her hand on his cheek and he savored her warm touch… but he could feel it losing the warmth… Her eyes were slowly losing their shine.

He didn't dare try to move her, to keep from risking losing her even more quickly. Not when he had finally felt it. The warmth… He had finally made the connection.

"Sasuke… kun… Please… come… back…" Sakura whispered hoarsely. Sasuke's eyes widened. What was he doing? She needed medical attention! She had to be healed!

"Naruto!" Sasuke called out for his rival and best friend, the only one who he could ask to bring to a medic that would heal her. Naruto looked at Sasuke. "Get a medic!" Sasuke yelled. Naruto looked at Sakura who shook her head. Naruto looked down. Sakura looked to Sasuke who looked back at her, breathing quickly. He held back his tears.

"Sakura! Heal yourself! Please!" Sasuke yelled, unable to accept it. Sakura smiled softly, instead, responding with two extremely quiet words.

"Good bye…" She breathed smiling. He pushed his own lips against hers. Her eyes widened and she smiled sadly against his lips, closing her eyes peacefully. He increased pressure in the kiss, feeling her chakra flicker weakly, the flame of her life was being stamped out by death…

He shut his eyes tightly, putting everything he felt into it, wishing, mentally, that maybe she would gain strength like the fairytales, and come back.

But there were no fairytales.

He pulled back, hoping to see her smiling up at him… wishing that miracles could happen…

But he knew it was impossible…

He only saw her closed eyes and a soft, yet satisfied smile on her face, as her hand dropped from his cheek, cold.

He stared in shock and his mind in turmoil. Suddenly, there was a droplet of water that landed on her forehead. He looked up. It was raining. He stared up at the dark sky with sad and blank eyes.

At least the rain hid his tears. He closed his eyes not wanting to face the reality. A flash of pink appeared in his mind.

He could only wish… but it wouldn't come true.

A drop let fell from his chin and suddenly, everything lost its color and time froze but the single tear drop started to glow bright white light, in place.

* * *

-Sakura's Pov- (?)

I felt as if I was falling. After my vision had blanked out, my senses had also dulled. It wasn't painful in a physical sense, but painful in a spiritual sense.

I knew at that moment, I had left the world of the living, when everything had disappeared, and yet I could feel something now.

It was as if a blanket of warmth had been wrapped around me, waiting for me to open my eyes. I heard a voice.

"_Do you wish to save your friends? To stop what had happened from happening again?"_

I opened my eyes to feel myself falling through space. There was nothing but white space around. The voice had seemed to come from everywhere… I couldn't pin point the location… I was falling, but it was almost as if I was floating and falling.

"Who are you?" I asked out to the voice turning myself upright.

"_I am a spirit… It is rare anyone comes into the 4__th__ dimension after death. It means that things have ended in your world, the Shinobi world, differently than how they were destined to be."_

"Then… what does that mean? Am I to stay here for eternity…?" I asked. There was an amused laugh from the voice.

"_No, child. It means that you have the chance to change things. To change the past. But you will live out your life in the past, no longer able to come back to the future. You have a chance to turn back time but it is your choice to take the chance."_

"I am to live through heart break and the same emotions again…? Without my memories, I am a mere childish girl. Nothing will change…" I said.

"_No. You will keep your memories, but they will never be revealed. No human will be able to see them, and no being will be able to discover them. You will never be able to communicate them to anyone else."_

"Then… is there a price for this? Surely I have to lose something." I asked, thinking there had to me some kind of price to pay. Everything was equivalently exchanged. Chakra was given to create jutsu, just as revival needed the life force of a single human being.

"_As I have told you, you've come to a dimension where not many have entered after death. Souls were meant to be reincarnated so you would eventually be brought back to life anyways. However, the destiny of your world, was not supposed to be as it is, so you were sent here to be given that chance."_

"So I will get the chance to change the past? There's no actual catch?" I asked.

"_Well… You will be a different person as well… Your name, Haruno Sakura, will be the same, along with your appearance, but you will have more power, due to your need for it. But you also must be responsible for the power you hold. You will also be in danger because of your power. Like your friend."_

I knew the voice was speaking about Naruto. Even Sasuke had the same problem with Orochimaru. There were many power hungry people in the world… "I see…" I said.

"_You have plenty of time to think about it. After all, in this dimension, time is controlled by me. As a spirit of this dimension, I have control over time in all worlds. You would call me the God of time."_

"It's alright… I… I want to take the chance. If things have to change, I don't mind. I will save my friends… I want to make them happy. They suffered since they were very young… I want to save them from the pain." I said.

"_Hm. A wise descision… I believe, I can give you the chance to change one event in time. At any time though, you will only awaken in your body after the event has occurred. You will have no idea what has happened other than that single event, so choose wisely."_

"Is it possible to save Uzumaki Naruto's parents from death even after they seal the Kyuubi into him? To allow them to live with him and take care of him?" I asked.

"_Hm… Yes. Is that event what you want to change?"_

"Yes."

"_Very well then. I do not know what else will happen, but sending you back will affect the future of that world, and not everything will be the same. Remember that. I wish you luck on your journey."_

"Thank-you." The white around me shone brightly and I closed my eyes, feeling myself falling into the blanket of unconsciousness.

I felt many emotions, knowing what I could do.

Relief, Happiness, Hope.

I was getting another chance.

However, I also had a wary feeling. I could feel that things were going to be tougher than in my past life. I could only hope they went well, and try my best to do everything I could to change the future.

* * *

**Hope you all liked the Prologue. I tried to make it dramatic, but I kinda suck at the tragic stuff. Let me know if you actually started to cry or not.**

**I actually wanna learn to write stories that make people cry, cuz it's so hard for me to do it. Ok. I sort of lied about improving. I kind of wanna learn different styles.**

**Advice is ok, but criticizing my writing kinda hurts me. I'm just trying my best to have fun and relax. This is like my outlet from all the boring stuff in school. Even though people try to give me advice, maybe once is fine, but I get tired and start to get depressed if it's a second or third time.**

**So… Thanks for reading. Please continue to read my story and review!**

**Coming up next… Chapter One: To Meet Future Heroes…**

**-SasuLovesSaku4Ever**

**Just press that button down there please. Thanks.**

**V**

**V**


	2. Chapter 1: To Meet Future Heroes

Ok. I took some ideas from a few different games to make this story, so don't assume that it's a crossover. I'm adding some twists and romance. Those who know about the games, please don't spoil it for other readers by reviewing about them! Instead, just send me a PM! Thanks!

As for the prologue, for some reason. FF won't let me underline and italic at the same time. I think something's weird with the website... Well, hopeful you knew what was going on last time. Just ask if you don't understand.

Thanks for the reviews! I loved them all! Continue to review, everyone! It'll motivate me to type more and update faster!

If you don't like, don't read. Thanks! 

-SasuLovesSaku4Ever

Legend:

"_Thought"  
_"Speech"_  
__"Spirit/God/Goddess/Any spiritual-like being"__  
__** "Sakura's inner"  
**__**"Demon/Tailed Beast"**__**  
**_**"Emphasis"**

– Point of View P.O.V. – (Place)  
Chapter Number: Chapter Title

* * *

_**A Light and Shadow in the Past**_

Chapter One – To Meet Future Heroes…

– Sakura's P.O.V. – (An Island far from the Mainland, Sakura's Room in the Haruno Mansion)

I opened my eyes to find myself in a room. I tried to get up and realized I was extremely weak. _"How old am I? Can I even speak?" _I tried to talk. Only babble came out of my mouth. _"Great… Well… At least I have plenty of time to start training my body without getting suspected."_

I had an urge to cry. I sweat dropped in my mind when I started to cry uncontrollably. _"Great. And I can't even control when I'm crying. Eating baby food isn't going to be fun either… If I've lost all of my strength, that means I'll have to begin my training all over… At least I still have all the knowledge, so I'll be able to handle the training better on my own."_

I saw my mother come into the room. She looked the same as before, with her red hair and blue eyes. My father had silver hair and golden yellow eyes. My hair had come from a mix of their colors. I wasn't surprised about that. My mother took me into her arms and hummed a soft melody. I leaned into her warmth and fell asleep knowing the body I had needed rest to grow.

* * *

Days passed, and I slowly learned about my new life. I found that I lived with my parents and cousins, whose parents had died in the war. We had once lived in the Land of Fire, on the main land, in a small village at the edge of the country. It hadn't really been considered a town of the Land of Fire, but our village had been attacked in the war. Now, we lived on a small island not too close, but not too far from the mainland either. The Island was called the Aika Island, meaning Love Song Island.

It was a peaceful, quiet, and happy place. The village was quite small, but tourism was the main feature of the village. Many tourists came very often, mostly from other small islands to watch the famous music performances from our clan, the Haruno clan.

The Haruno clan was made of all musicians. All the clan members usually found they had talent with some kind of instrument, or many types. My parents were the clan heads, and my father was the conductor of the Haruno orchestra.

Our clan was well known within the area, but not on the mainland at all. It was rare that any people went to the mainland from the islands. Most people who lived on the islands never moved off, because there was little conflict ever and the people of the main lands didn't usually hear about the islands.

The Island was also known as Aika Island because it was a special place where a specific fruit grew from the trees. They were start shaped yellow fruit. They were extremely tasty. There was a myth about the fruits. The fruits represented an unbreakable connection. If a couple that was in love shared a single fruit, they would never part until death.

The bond they shared was strengthened to become unbreakable. The fruit was extremely tasty and once tasted, it was said that the temptation to eat another was unresistable… However, if either one of the couple ate more than one, it would bring extremely bad luck…

* * *

It wasn't long ago that something like the myth had happened. A young couple from another island had tried the fruit and the male knew of the story. He thought the female had as well. She did. But she didn't believe it. They tasted the fruit, and the female was amazed. She wanted another taste, but the man stopped her.

They married. The night of the wedding, the female snuck out to eat another fruit. She wanted to celebrate. She didn't believe in the myth. She went back and after that, the married couple went off on their honeymoon. They came back, only to hear bad news. All their relatives and family had been killed off by a tsunami.

The day after, when the male left to find what was left of his home island, and the female split from him to find her own home land, the male's ship was struck by a storm and the male went missing at sea. The female came back to hear the news, and mourned.

She found out she was pregnant a week later. She took care of herself, but not long after, she found out she had a miscarriage, she killed herself before the tree they had taken the fruit from, and carved the words "never again" into a boulder by the tree. The words were still there.

That's why it was rare that people ate the fruit…

* * *

My parents didn't eat the fruit. They hadn't even met on the island actually. My mother had been on a trip on the mainland to journey around and see new things. She had felt being on the island was quite isolated and wanted to see more. It was rare people on the island were like that, but my mother, Haruno Kaede (Spring's Maple), had been born on the island, and she had grown up wanting to feel free.

So she left the island, and went to land, traveling around until she had met my father, Isamu, in a small village while she had been travelling. He had been working as a part time fisherman and also played the violin at a park at night, and they met for the first time, and then fell in love. At least, that was what my mother had spoken of telling me a story when I was 2.

My mother had lived with my father on the main land, and a few of her siblings also moved to the main land, living in the village, but then the war came, and the village had been attacked. My father had managed to save three of my cousins, but their parents didn't survive. My mother moved back to the island with my father and cousins, seeing why now that the islands were a safer place to live on and I was born.

My cousins grew to love my parents as their own. We all had all the skills we needed to survive on our own. We could earn money through playing music for public, and buy food. We were all girls.

* * *

I grew up and made many friends as a child. At home, I was surrounded with my cousins, and mother. Most of our relatives were busy practicing for performances. My father was usually busy teaching a child to play an instrument. He had learned to play multiple instruments and was extremely skilled, but my friends, were almost all male. There were rarely any female children on the island we lived on.

I grew up doing many things. I learned to hunt like other boys. I learned extremely quickly, and many of the adults were shocked I was so skilled and learned so quickly. There wasn't really an underestimation of females on the island. I was given permission to go out hunting with the teenagers as well. I was quite strong for my age, because when I had free time, I would train my stamina and strength whenever I had time.

My father also taught me to play music but he believed allowing me to follow my dreams was something I should do, so he told me to do what I wished. I wanted to learn many things, and my parents helped me achieve whatever they could help me with. I learned to play the acoustic and electric guitar, violin, ocarina, flute, and the piano. I loved to sing as well and I often made my own songs, but I never sang them in public because I was always nervous.

I had a special spot on the island where no one bothered me. It was on a tree with the star shaped fruit. The tree had bent over and had grown to the side, so it was deformed, but I could climb on and sit on it, watching the sun set. I would usually play my acoustic guitar and sing the songs I composed to myself, quietly. No one usually bothered me because some were afraid of the star shaped fruit on the tree. They believed it would bring bad luck, and if they got too close, then they would be tempted to eat it.

I enjoyed sitting alone, and watching the sunset. I loved playing the music and singing softly to myself as well. It was always fun. When I went hunting, I would always bring back a few rabbits or birds and berries as well. There would always be a feast after a hunt, and everyone would share the food together, splitting it up and enjoying the festivities.

* * *

I yawned and rubbed my eyes, opening them and looking out the window. It was morning. I was currently age 4 at the time. The sky was clear and the sun was up. I smiled and got up touching my guitar. The guitar had actually been my first and favourite instrument. My second favourite was the piano. Today, we would be hunting again. I grabbed my bow and my quiver full of arrows. I always brought more than enough because my hits were dead on. I grabbed my dagger and my bag.

I went downstairs and ate some breakfast. We had fish, as usual. We all gathered at the edge of the wood. The boys had gathered in a line, with their families wishing them luck. "Good luck on your hunt, Saku-chan!" Haruno Asami (Spring's Morning Beauty), my blond haired, green eyed cousin said hugging me with a kind smile. She was always very happy and cheerful. She could be mean when she needed to and was defensive of her family.

"Yeah! Good luck!" Haruno Miyuki (Spring's Snow), my silver haired and golden eyed cousin said smiling with a wave, sending me off. She was always timid, and kind, but she never gave up on what she loved and liked. She never turned her back on a person in need. She reminded me a bit of Hinata, but not really because her voice was stronger, but soft, like the breeze.

Haruno Akane, my cinammon brown haired and golden eyed cousin, and sent me off with a wave and a smile. I grinned. She was always there when I needed it. She was always very cool and relaxed. In any argument, she would always win, not because she could scare people, but she always kept a cool head and could easily come up with come-backs in an instant. When she needed to though, she could easily beat up others. She was strong in physical strength as well because she had once taken Karate lessons as a child, slightly interested in self defense.

"Bring some good hunt back!" Father said smiling.

"Take care of yourself, and don't push it if you can't do it, Sakura!" Mother called. I nodded. We all went into the woods. I dashed through the woods with speed and stealth, careful not to scare away the hunt.

* * *

I noticed a rabbit and easily shot it, killing it in an instant. When the bell was rang thrice, signaling that 3 hours had passed, I had gotten three rabbits, two birds, and a fox. I climbed up a tree and looked around. I saw a wolf nearby. It sniffed the air and ran towards another direction.

I blinked.

_Where was it going? _

I chased after it to the edge of a forest, and found it in the bush staring at the body of an unconscious boy, growling. My eyes widened in recognition, and I shot at the wolf quickly, before it pounced. The wolf was killed in an instant, when I had shot through the neck. It lay limp. I picked up the body, and pulled out my arrow. I set it down on the ground beside the boy.

I recognized the shirt. The symbol on the shirt. A red and white fan.

But what was… an Uchiha doing here?

I turned the body of the boy over and gasped. Uchiha Itachi! What was he doing here? He was wounded and bleeding on the head. I pulled some medical supplies from my bag, and cleaned his head wound, a cut on his forehead head. It wasn't deep, but it was bleeding a lot.

I bandaged his head and it seemed to keep the blood from soaking through the bandages. I couldn't control my chakra yet. My chakra system was still developing. Using it suddenly at a young age could damage it permanently. I still needed to practice control and develop my spiritual energy more.

I hauled Itachi over my shoulder and sighed. I noticed his headband in the sand and grabbed it. He was age 9… by this time. He was twice my height, but I would do my best with the wolf and him. I dragged him back through the forest. It was tiring. I had 3 hours to pass through the forest to get back. Itachi's unconscious body was heavy.

I heard three rings of the bells. I was still a few minutes from reaching the edge. I got back and found everyone waiting. "Is that…?" Mother asked.

"I found him at the edge of the forest, unconscious." I said dropping the dead body of the wolf. Many of the boys stared in jealously. None of them would dare to try and kill a wolf, in fear it would survive and turn on them. I set Itachi down. "He was bleeding, but I wrapped his wound, he should rest." I said. Mother nodded.

"We'll bring him back to the mansion, and let him rest." Mother said. I nodded. Father nodded in agreement, and took Itachi from my arms. I emptied my bag. As usual, I got the most food. Every hunter could pick their own food to keep and the rest was supposed to go to share, and so I took the wolf, leaving everything else to share. I skinned the wolf at home, draining the blood, and storing away the meat. We all celebrated.

Father had set up Itachi's room beside my room. I always sat in front of Itachi, wondering when he would wake up. I had checked over his body. There wasn't anything wrong. His chakra flow was completely fine, along with his physical state. He was merely in an unconscious state.

* * *

One day, when I was humming a soft song, he moved his hand. I knew he was conscious. "You can open your eyes now, Nii-san." I said giggling. He had a shocked and surprised expression in his face and he opened his eyes.

He looked around, alert with the Sharingan. No one but me in the room. He stared at me in surprise an deactivated his Sharingan. I blinked in amazement. "Woah! How'd your eyes turn red and black?" I asked in amazement. He chuckled.

"It's a secret. So… Where am I?" He murmured looking around.

"I found you lying on the beach, unconscious. Your head was bleeding. You're on Aika Island, far from the mainland. You're in the Haruno clan mansion!" I said. He touched his head and realized it was bandaged.

"Where's my headband?" He asked.

"Headband?" I asked tilting my head curiously.

"Hai. Did you see it? It was a metal part with a leaf symbol on it, and a blue cloth." He said. I blinked.

"Oh! This thing?" I asked pulling it out of my pocket. He nodded. "I found it lying in the sand." I said putting it in his hand. He smiled and thanked me.

"Are you hungry?" I asked. He nodded.

"Can you stand?" I asked. He sat up and pushed himself up. I smiled and he followed me to the kitchen. It was close to lunch now. I opened the door.

"Sakura! There you are! You're late for lunch as usual. I told you the boy will take a while to wake!" Mother said sighing. Everyone was at the table. I could feel Itachi looking at me curiously.

"But I could feel he was going to wake up soon. He's awake now!" I said pulling Itachi in. Itachi looked at me curiously. I looked at him and smiled. He seemed to smile back, helplessly at my childish charm. "Kaa-chan, he said he's hungry." I said.

"Alright. Are you ok with fish, dear?" Mom asked. I took my seat beside Akane and smiled up at her. She nodded to me with a calm look. Akane was the most mature of my cousins and I admired her the most.

"Hai." Itachi said, thanking Kaa-chan. We didn't ask Itachi about his life. I told him what happened when I found him. He seemed to be surprised children were hunting on the islands. I said it was really fun. I loved to run through the woods in complete silence and surprise the prey, or scare them by suddenly appearing out of nowhere. We said the boats weren't headed towards the main lands because usually it was a long journey and we didn't have enough supplies. We always respected nature and didn't waste what we had. The hunts were yearly celebrations for everyone on the island.

* * *

Days passed by and we never asked for Itachi's name. I was sitting on the tree that was bent over and singing while playing on my guitar. I had my eyes closed as I played a song called "Melodies of Life". When I finished, I opened my eyes and heard Itachi's voice. "That was a beautiful song." He said. I turned around and looked surprised.

"Oh. It's you." I said turning back to the sea.

"…Why hasn't anyone asked for my name?" Itachi asked.

"Hm? Why are you asking me that?" I asked.

"You are the one who saved me… so I believe you should tell me the reason why…" Itachi said. I smiled.

"Because everyone on this island and see that you don't want to tell much about your home, or your own life. We don't ask, because we can tell you want your own privacy. Otherwise, you would have told us long ago." I said.

"The people of this island. They all seem to know each other…? And everyone treats me as if I'm a friend, even though they don't even know me." Itachi said.

"Hai. We've all lived lives of peace. My parents moved here long ago… And my cousins live with us because of the war. We once lived on the mainlands, but their parents had died in an attack, and my father had managed to save them. They were toddlers at the time and had no idea what had been going on. My mother hadn't realized, but I was within her womb at the time as well." I said.

"So how did you end up here?" Itachi asked.

"My mother's parents lived here, on this land of peace. This island has never been involved in war before. Resources mostly come from the hunts and the farms they have on the far side of the island. The men go out fishing too, so fish is plentiful. My parents moved back here, because of the war. They feared for each other, and my cousins… We've been on this island ever since..." I said.

"I see… This island is separated from most of the other islands, from what I've seen in the maps you have. So there is rarely any contact with other islands and there isn't much fighting for resources." Itachi said. "I hear the economy thrives on visitors though?" Itachi asked. I nodded.

"Yes. We probably won't be able to arrange a boat for you to go back to the mainland though since usually, most boats come here and stay a while before going back to mainland." I said.

"It's fine… Actually… I'll tell you everything about my life." Itachi said.

"Huh? Why?" I asked curiously.

"As a thank-you… and also, because it's been a while I've been able to feel so relaxed… and less stressed." Itachi said. I blinked. "My name is Uchiha Itachi. I'm a ninja from Konohagakure, the Leaf Village, in the Land of Fire. I was born into the Uchiha clan, one of the most powerful clans of Konoha, as heir, so my parents are the leaders of the clan." Itachi said.

He told me all about how his father put pressure on him to go further and get stronger, about how he was unable to spend time with his brother, who was about the same age as me. He told me about the tension filled life he lived. He had to show no emotion around his father and mother. Even his mother was loyal to his father. He told me about how his brother was the only one he could care for and show love to. It had been a while, since he had been allowed to feel freedom.

He was a prodigy ninja, but he wanted to be a normal ninja, still learning. He wanted to grow up peacefully without growing strong in fighting. He had dreamed for a peaceful world, like on this island. He explained how he was able to enjoy his freedom, and walk around the streets without anyone staring at his back or bowing to him. He was treated like he was an equal to everyone else. It was the kind of life he wanted to lead.

I smiled after listening to his story. "If you left, you wouldn't ever forget this feeling of peace…?" I asked. Itachi nodded.

"I would yearn to come back… and dream that I was able to come back here every day. Your family is exactly how I would wish my own to be. I can tell your family is respected, but the villagers all treat you like equals as well." Itachi said.

"Ne, but I think you miss your family, don't you." I said. Itachi nodded.

"My brother would miss me and worry about me. If I could stay here with my brother, I would be perfectly happy." Itachi said.

"Ne, maybe one day, you'll be able to stay here with your brother, Itachi." I said. Itachi smiled.

"It would be a dream come true." Itachi said.

"We should head back soon." I said. Itachi nodded and walked back to the house with me.

* * *

Days passed by, and Itachi always came out to listen to me play my music on the tree. I made a small gift for him, shaped in the star shape of the fruit hooking the shells on the beach together. The shape symbolizing an unbreakable connection…

I knew he would be leaving soon. His friends and family would be coming.

I woke up one morning and we all ate breakfast at the table as usual. My cousins had gotten used to him. Akane also enjoyed talking with Itachi. He was pretty kind and calm. We heard a crowd of voices and went out after dinner to the dock where the crowd was.

"Do you know where Uchiha Itachi is! Where have you kept him?" An angered man growled holding a villager by the neck with his Sharingan on. I recognized him as Uchiha Fugaku. Itachi's father. I noticed that Sasuke was there along with Itachi's mother, the Fourth Hokage, along with his wife, and Naruto, and a group of Anbu and an Inuzuka. Had it gotten that serious?

"Fugaku. Calm down." The Fourth Hokage said. I smiled slightly. Itachi looked at me. I nodded to him. He walked up.

"Father, can you let that man down? He's done nothing wrong." Itachi said. All the ninja turned their attention to Itachi. The man was dropped and Itachi helped him up.

"I apologize. My father over-reacted." Itachi said to the man. The man shook his head.

"A missing child for two weeks would worry any parent. I forgive him." The man said rubbing his neck. It seemed bruised.

"Where have you been!" Fugaku asked angrily.

"I was not able to get back to the village. The boats here do not have the supplies to reach the mainland, and it would have been a risky journey for all of these civilians. I can head back. I have my things." Itachi said.

"Nii-san!" Sasuke ran to his brother and hugged him tightly. I smiled lightly. The childish Sasuke… this was what I was here to protect. The kind boy who loved his brother so dearly… I knew, I would have to leave this peaceful land to become a ninja… but not yet… I would stay for a short while longer… before I left." I felt around in my pocket for the star shaped charm I had made for Itachi with the shells and rope.

"We'll be leaving then." Fugaku said.

"Wait." Itachi said. The ninja all watched Itachi. Itachi walked up to my parents and thanked them. They smiled and accepted his thanks. Akane held out her hand and Itachi shook hers. She smiled lightly, and Itachi did the same. I smiled. Those two were quite closer. He thanked Miyuki and Asami for keeping him company at times as well and they accepted it. He kneeled to my height and patted me on the head.

"I enjoyed everything we did together, Sakura. Keep playing your music. You're already good right now." Itachi said. I smiled and pulled out the charm. He looked surprised. I gave it to him.

"Here." I said.

"What's this?" He asked.

"A wayfinder." I said.

"Wayfinder…?" He asked. I nodded.

"So that if you carry it all the time and you want to come back here, you'll always be able to find your way back." I said. Itachi seemed extremely grateful and I grinned at him. He was happy. I could see it through his eyes.

"Thank-you, Sakura." He said hugging me. I smiled and hugged him back. I could tell Sasuke looked jealous of me, because I was getting so much attention from Itachi. He pulled back.

"I'll keep this with me." Itachi said. I nodded. He walked to his family and they left. I waved to Itachi who waved back, as they left.

* * *

-Itachi's Pov-

I held the wayfinder in my hand. It was made of 5 shells. It was simple, but a beautiful symbolizing gift of the island. I remembered the myth about the fruit that Akane had told me about and wondered if the star shape was related to the fruit in some way.

"Nii-san… who was that?" Sasuke asked. I looked at Sasuke. He looked a little envious and curious. I chuckled.

"She's a kid the same age as you. Actually, I was nearly killed by a wolf, so I was told, before she saved me. I was unconscious with a head wound…" I said.

"Are you alright?" Mother asked.

"I'm fine. I healed a while ago, but I was unable to contact anyone." I said.

"No surprise there. You were in the middle of nowhere when your team was attacked on the boat. They were saved by the back-up team, but you were nowhere to be found. I'm surprised you washed up on an island so far away from the area." Minato said. I nodded.

I looked at Sasuke for a while remembering Sakura's words. Her voice echoed in my mind.

_Maybe one day, you'll be able to stay here with your brother, Itachi._

Sasuke noticed my stare and looked back at me, slightly confused to why I was staring at him. I chuckled. Sasuke pouted. "What?" He asked. I shook my head.

"Nothing Sasuke." I said patting his head. He pouted, but enjoyed the attention I gave him.

That night, I pondered through my thoughts, looking up at the night sky on the deck of the boat... If Sakura was able to come to the main land, would she come for the adventure?

She seemed to want to see more of the world... and wonder what was past the oceans horizon…

Maybe… She would come to the main land and see for herself what the real world was…

Maybe they would meet again.

She seemed to be much more intelligent than any child her age should have been. She was mature as well. Less childish, but she had childish moments at the right times.

He sighed, and allowed his mind to rest.

Peace… He had experienced a peaceful and dream environment for two weeks. It was truly amazing, to live in his dream type of world for two weeks.

He fell asleep, going through happy memories in his dreams.

* * *

Don't assume I switched it to Itasaku or anything. I wanted Itachi and Sakura to have a sibling type of bond, though I don't know if I went too far. I don't think I did though.

The Star Shaped Fruit symbolized an unbreakable connection to the island made with the sea shells from the island's shores, so that Itachi would be able to find his way back to the island one day.

The song that Sakura played on the guitar was called "Memories of Life" and it's a song from Final Fantasy IX. Search it up in youtube played on guitar, if you want to listen to it. I like the tune. It sort of fits the mood for that part of the chapter. Sakura would mostly be going through her past life's memories as she played it. Use your imagination. LOL….

btw: rereading my work drives me nuts, so I don't bother at all. It seems boring when I read it because I know what I wrote. So don't tell me things are wrong, but tell me where my writing is wrong so I can fix it if it is wrong, if you actually want me to fix it and if it bothers you **SOOO** much that you would put in the actual effort of counting which paragraph number and where the sentence is and letting me know.

LOL... I say that, and yet I read over it and it doesn't make sense when I'm writing the next chapter... I made minor changes to the ages but that's pretty much it. Ok. I should really stop changing it.

Coming up next… Chapter Two: To Leave a Peaceful Home…

Hm... It'll be uploaded **before or on**** _July 10th!_** I think...**  
**

It depends on how motivated I am!

The more** 'good' reviews** I get the** faster** I'll **update**!

-SasuLovesSaku4Ever

Read and Review! Thanks!

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	3. Chapter 2: To Leave a Peaceful Home

Yay! The Second Chapter on its way! Please continue to review! 

I also want to make it clear that I am also incorporating some random information that may or may not be true, but it's not actually that important, so I don't really care if it's correct or not. I'm not actually doing the detailed research. It's based on thoughts off of the top of my head.

Also, this is not only based on some games. It's also based on a few other animes… I think. I've planned out the main outline, but I'm not sure whether I should add in a few more things too…

Anyways… Please enjoy this chappie!

-SasuLovesSaku4Ever

Legend:

"_Thought"  
_"Speech"_  
__"Spirit/God/Goddess/Any spiritual-like being"__  
__** "Sakura's inner"  
**__**"Demon/Tailed Beast"**__**  
**_**"Emphasis"**

– Point of View P.O.V. – (Place)  
Chapter Number: Chapter Title

* * *

_**A Light and Shadow in the Past**_

Chapter Two – To Leave a Peaceful Home…

– Sakura's POV – (Aika Island)

Things went back to normal after Itachi had left. However, I went out more often, not only just to play music, but to meditate, and train my body along with my chakra control. I had to gain back some strength before I started out as a ninja. I easily climbed the trees with only my feet and chakra and got back to the house around 2:00 in the afternoon.

Akane, who my oldest cousin, age 14, had gone out shopping with Kaa-san… Akane had finished school early, and was already working at her musical career within our family. Asami and Miyuki were at school today. Tou-san stayed home, but knowing I wanted to practice for the hunts, he let me go out on my own. I was young, but I was mature and knew how to take care of myself.

I went back home and found Tou-san in the living room, sitting on the sofa with two blades in his lap. I was surprised. Where had he gotten them? "Tou-san?" I asked. He looked up and smiled.

"Ah. Sakura. Come here and sit by me." He said. I blinked and nodded, pulling myself onto the sofa and plopping myself beside him, looking curiously at the sheathed blades. They both looked like normal katana, however, both looked different.

One had a guard in the shape of a four-pointed bronze-colored star, its hilt light blue and sheath dark blue. The other had a vaguely flame like pattern on the long sides of the rectangular guard, and a curved line on the short sides. It had a black sheath and a reddish-brown hilt.

"Are those swords?" I asked curiously.

"Hai. They're both Katana… A treasure of my clan." Father said.

"Your clan? Demo, don't we live with Kaa-chan's clan?" I asked.

"Yes. My clan, the Yuki clan, was once a powerful clan. We lived on the mainland, full of ninja, like that boy, Itachi. We were a ninja clan, with a special power from our bloodline, a kekei genkai." Father said.

"Kekei genkai?" I asked. He nodded.

"It's a special power that is passed down only through bloodline. I had learned a part of the power of our clan, but it was a little before the Third Shinobi World War, the clan was attacked. Many of us were defeated, but the head of the clan had no heir to pass on the treasures or the tittle to.

He felt that I had been like a son to him, and gave me the clan treasures, these two blades, and a scroll full of many, but not all of the clan secrets which I still have hidden. My clan's living area was sealed off with a jutsu that only can be opened up when someone of the clan deactivated the jutsu. I've never told your mother about this either, so make sure you don't tell anyone." Father said. I nodded.

"What was the power of the clan?" I asked curiously.

"Technically, it is your clan as well. We had the ability to control water and manipulate it into ice. We had wind and water type chakra. You probably have that power as well. Also, my grandmother was from another ninja clan, the Uzumaki clan. They all had red hair in that clan. I remember my grandmother told me that their clan was skilled with both medical ninjutsu, and fuuinjutsu (sealing techniques). You may have gained those skills as well." Father said.

"Why did you take the blades out?" I asked.

"When that boy was here, it got me thinking. These blades were important treasures… so I feel like they shouldn't be left to rust for eternity. They should be passed on and used. I was thinking about giving it to the boy, but I couldn't let go of the treasures the clan head had entrusted me with to another ninja who wasn't even aware of my blood, aware of my clan… I was just thinking." Father said.

"Father… I want to be a ninja!" I said. Father looked up in shock. I sensed Akane's and Kaa-chan's chakra enter the house hold but they weren't close enough to hear us just yet. "Well, it's just that… I want to see the world... I want to see what lies beyond that ocean and the horizon… I want to travel and experience everything." I said. They were behind the door now.

"And I guess that means we'll need a lot of supplies. We have the money after all." Akane's voice said. I looked at the opened door to see Akane and Mother, both smiling.

"Really?" I asked in surprise.

"I'd been thinking about going to the mainland to advertise our island with music. It's a good opportunity to bring more visitors to the island. Our clan will also become more well-known. Besides, I'd never let you go on your own, Sakura." Akane said.

"But you have to promise to visit when you have the time, ok? Send messages back here when you can as well, alright?" Mother asked. I nodded vigourously.

"Well, if you want to become a ninja Sakura-" Father started.

"Wait, ninja?" Mother asked shocked.

"Hai… I want to be a ninja, Kaa-chan." I said.

"Wh-what…? Why?" Mother asked in surprise.

"Because I want to see what it's like… Maybe… I could help bring this world to a stop from the repeating wars… Itachi told me he wanted a peaceful life, like on this island. It would be amazing if the whole world was like this too right? Everyone was nice to each other no matter who they were…" I said.

"Promise me, that you won't do anything too dangerous? That you'll take care of yourself?" Mother asked. I nodded. She hugged me.

"I'll take care of her too, Kaa-chan." Akane said.

"I can always count on you, Akane." Mother said.

"What's going on?" Asami asked. Miyuki was behind Asami.

"Akane and Sakura are going to go to the mainland. Do you want to go with them?" Mother asked.

"Of course…!" Miyuki said.

"There's no way I'd leave them behind." Akane said smiling and pulling me up into her arms. I giggled.

"Yay! We're all going together!" I said.

"But you'll have to choose a destination. There are 5 main villages of ninja that I'd heard about. The Village Hidden in the Leaves, in the Land of Fire, The Village Hidden in the Mist, in the Land of Water, The Village Hidden in the Rocks, in the Land of Earth, The Village Hidden in the Clouds in the Land of Lightning, and The Village Hidden in the Sand, in the Land of Wind." Father said.

"Hm… Where to go…?" I wondered.

"I wouldn't recommend the Mist village, because they are separated from the mainland, on a large island." Father said.

"What about the Village hidden in the Sand? Are there beaches?" Asami asked curiously. Our village didn't learn about the ninja villages. We only learned about the history of wars and mostly how to survive in the world.

"No. The Village hidden in the Sand is in the middle of a desert. A tough journey to survive without a lot of water…" Father said.

"Oh. Nevermind then…" Asami said.

"Which one's Itachi-nii's village?" I asked curiously.

"The Village Hidden in the Leaves… They are the largest and most powerful of the nations. I learned a bit about history and there is a myth that the Village Hidden in the Leaves was created by the descendants of the very first ninja in history, and the most powerful ninja in history, the Sage of Six Paths. However, it was also because of the history of that village, that the wars started." Father said.

"Hm… Then why not try to change the world at the source of all the problems...? Well go to the Leaf Village then." I said. Father nodded.

"Very well. I'll arrange your passports." Father said.

"Arigatou, Tou-san!" I said running and hugging him tightly. He chuckled.

"Make sure you don't get yourself into too much trouble. Here." He said handing me the blades. I took them in surprise. "I'll get that scroll so you can have a look at it when you actually become a ninja. Then we'll start packing your bags.

* * *

Father gave me the blades and the scroll and I read and studied the scroll at night, secretly. It had the secrets of single handed hand signs, the special jutsu of the clan including Haku's ice mirrors technique and the 1000 needles of death technique. It also showed you how to solidify the water or turn it back to water again if ice was used against you.

I meditated and build up my spiritual energy and ran laps to build up my physical energy. I could feel the chakra in my reserves filling up and expanding and I could feel my chakra system developing extremely well.

* * *

The days passed by as we packed for the trip to the main land. The villagers even chipped in and helped in getting enough supplies for the trip to the Main Land. I saw how everyone was trying to help out and knew I had to succeed. No matter what, I had to save this world from the future that could destroy it…

Finally the ship was ready to depart and I had my new outfit on. It was a short blue kimono that had slightly darker blue lining on the edges and went down just below my waist and a darker blue obi held it together. The sleeves weren't as loose and long as a normal kimono though. They were only a little loose, but loose enough for me to hide a few weapons under the sleeves.

Under the kimono I wore a black sleeveless shirt that had no cloth on the upper back and a white tank top and it also didn't cover my upper back. I wore black pants that went down to my knees. I also had a few hidden pockets in my kimono as well as places for hidden weapons. I wore normal ninja sandals and fingerless black gloves.

"Sakura, I want you to make sure you are careful ok? I don't want you doing anything dangerous." Mother said kneeling down to my height. I was currently age 6 and it was June right now. Academy would be starting up in September. It'd been 2 years since we'd met Itachi and the boat had taken under half a year to make. Itachi was age 11 already, his birthday being June 9th.

"I'll be careful." I said. Mother hugged me tightly. I smiled and hugged her back. I had the two blades and the scroll packed up in a bag as well. Tou-san smiled at me and ruffled my hair.

"Take care of yourself. Become a strong ninja so I can be proud… and make sure you still play your music. You are very good with music. It might help with any missions you'll do." Tou-san said. I nodded and me and my cousins went on the boat.

* * *

Akane being the oldest of us all, took care of us. She was 16 now. Miyuki was 10 and Asami was 14. We sailed for days, and played music for the sailors to listen to. They all enjoyed the music. At night, I had my own room and I'd study the scroll, and practice controlling water with a cup of water I had brought in for the night so no one would think I was doing anything weird with a tub of water or a bucket

I had gotten the hang of moving it around in mid-air. It was effortless to move around, so I tried with more water in the shower. It was slightly harder, but after a few tries, I was able to move more water. I had to practice with different amounts so it became effortless.

Solidifying the water took more concentration, so I still needed more practice. I hadn't gotten to getting it from ice to water yet. I had also found I could take water from the atmosphere. It was the hardest task, so I decided to leave the training for that ability for later.

* * *

By the time we got to the mainland, I had mastered moving water around in mid-air with any amount. It didn't use up a lot of my chakra either. We travelled from town to town, doing small concerts and performances along with previews of songs. Asami, Akane, and Miyuki wondered what we should call ourselves, and so I created the name, since I was the singer… We called ourselves "The Haruno Akatsuki".

I had actually made up the name, but it had more to do with the meanings of all of our names than anything else. "Akatsuki" meant dawn, and "Asami" meant morning beauty, so the meanings matched in a way. "Akane" meant brilliant red, and "Aka" alone in Akatsuki meant red, both related to red. "Miyuki" meant beautiful snow and "Tsuki" alone in Akatsuki meant moon, both related to white.

They asked me how my name was related. I said red and white made pink Sakura petals and they laughed at my childish voice. The name reminded me of future enemies, and to always be on guard, as well as my own family. We told the people that we'd be settling in Konoha, to perform. The people weren't surprised, since we were in the Fire country, and Konoha was the main largest village.

* * *

We got to Konoha and settled in the house that father had bought for us before we got to the village. There was an upcoming festival that we'd be performing at unofficially at the park near the ninja academy. I had already signed up to become a student and my registration was set.

Finally… I was back…

Finally…

I was home…

* * *

Coming up next… Chapter Three: To Bring Music into Life…

Yay! Remember, the **more 'good' reviews**, the **faster **I'll** update**!  
**Chapter 3** Will most likely be posted **before or on… July 24****th**** depending** on **how much** you guys put in for **reviews**!

And to all those who were waiting for this chapter, I'm sorry I couldn't update sooner! I was on a camping trip out in the wilderness with no internet connection, so even if I wanted to I couldn't update! 

Hopefully, I can finish typing the next chapter soon. I've planned out the schedule and I might get it done ahead of time, and post it earlier, depending on how much time I have and how motivated I am!

-SasuLovesSaku4Ever

**Please Review! Seriously. I'll update faster!**

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	4. Chapter 3: To Bring Music into Life

Yay! The Third Chappie! 

Now then… Hm… I guess I should really start this chapter… We're starting to get to the cute Sasusaku parts, and meeting all the friends.

BTW… have you guys heard about the **NEW NARUTO MOVIE**? I just found out about it! SOO awesome! I can't believe **Sasuke actually flirts with Sakura**! While watching the **trailer** seeing Sasuke flirt with Sakura, I squealed! It's sooo awesome…

Though it was awkward when my dad and brother stared at me weirdly…

* * *

ANYWAYS…. I will now **start the chapter**… but after I **reply to reviews**, since I want the readers to know I actually **read** their **reviews**!

….

So… here is the long list of replies I will go through. I'm probably only going to reply to people who actually have names or give some kind of identification, since it's kind of hard to reply to the guests.

However, I want to thank the guests, so I'm doing a general reply to all of those guests out there, I just want to let you guys know I'm actually reading your reviews!

Ok. Here goes…

* * *

**Guests: **Thanks for all of your reviews! I'm glad you like my fanfic! Especially the one who wrote the very long review! I loved reading it! I hope you all continue to review! It's amazing how many people out there love Sakura like I do as well. As you can probably tell from my writing, I'm a total Sakura fan. I just loved her new awesome personality in the Shippuden series. I'm glad that some of you can tell about the people who are criticizing a little too harshly make me want to stop writing and some of you actually read the authors notes at the top and bottom too! Thanks to all of you for your support! I hope you all continue to review!

**Kisa Black: **Hahah… Well… Does this chapter count as a cliffie? I'm not exactly sure. Here's your next update though. I ended up shortening the schedule since I have so much time on my hands!

**StereoHearts19: **Thanks. I'll continue! Of course! It'd be great if you put on your other reviews. 

**Nuria Sato: **haha! I totally LOVE your long review. You're really into it aren't you? I'm glad! No, I hate the fact that Sakura was picked on because of her forehead. Her hair does make her different from other people, so she will still be picked on a bit, but she's got experience, and her cousins will scare off the bullies! Hm. I hadn't really planned on Sasuke getting too jealous, but I'll keep that in the story cuz I like the idea! Maybe in the next chapter I'll add in more to that idea. Poor Itachi will be stuck in between. Thanks again for the review!

**kitare:** Thanks for reviewing! I know that everyone's pretty excited about Sakura meeting everyone in Konoha. Please review some more!

**Sakura'sGhettoInner: **Thanks! Hahah! Yup! Little Sakura! I like her when she's younger. She's really cute as a kid.

**XxBirdxOfxHermesxX: **Thanks! Haha! I haven't really made their second meeting too dramatic, but I hope you like it in this chapter! I like the review pane as well! It's pretty convenient for me! Here's the next update!

**animelover171: **Thanks! Here's your next chapter!

**PostiveCharm416: **Thanks! I'm glad you like this story! Here's your next update! Hm… She's probably going to become a ninja after the next chapter or two. I want to try to build on Sakura's bond with Sasuke and Itachi.

* * *

Wow… So many reviews! I'm happy happy happy! Hm. Maybe I can pick a reviewer of the chapter for every chapter. I'm still debating with myself whether I should do this though… 

My idea was that the reviewer of the chapter gets to PM me an idea for the story if they want to, or something, and their idea will be considered. I have a plan for this story so I can't mess around too much though, or it will totally – mind my language – screw itself over – so… I'm not entirely sure. 

They will be recognized though and their review will be posted in the author's note above the story, so even the guests get a chance at it, though for the guests they won't be able to give me their idea since I'm not entirely sure if its them or not. Tell me what you guys think.

Now then, let's get started with the Third Chapter… Shall we…?

-SasuLovesSaku4Ever

* * *

Legend:

"_Thought"  
_"Speech"_  
__"Spirit/God/Goddess/Any spiritual-like being"__  
__** "Sakura's inner"  
**__**"Demon/Tailed Beast"**__**  
**_**"Emphasis"  
Singing **_**(Translation)**_

– Point of View P.O.V. – (Place)  
Chapter Number: Chapter Title

* * *

_**A Light and Shadow in the Past**_

Chapter Three – To Bring Music into Life…

– Sakura's POV – (Konohagakure – The Village Hidden in the Leaves)

I had found a quiet spot in the park to play music. Everyone liked to stop by and listen from time to time. I only played songs I made when I was alone and when I was sure no one would come by. I played songs that our band had made when people were around to listen to on my guitar. I also played on my violin from time to time as well.

The festival was a few days from now and I found myself playing my violin as usual. When I heard someone crying and sobbing in the forests… I stopped playing and looked towards the direction of the cries. Akane was there and looked up at me. "Sakura? Something wrong?" She asked. I looked at her and she got up following me into the forest. We found Hinata being beat down by a few boys.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" I said. The boys looked up and laughed.

"You think you can beat both off us civilian girl?" They asked.

"No, but I can." Akane said. The boys looked up at Akane's glaring face in fear. "Beat it, kids." She growled, looking ready to kick both of their asses. I smirked inwardly when their arrogant looks turned to fearful cowardly looks as they stepped back in horror when Akane stepped forwards.

"Sorry!" They yelled as they ran off like dogs with their tails between their legs. I walked up to Hinata and held out my hand.

"It's ok. They're gone now." I said. Hinata looked up at me in surprise.

"Wh-who are you…?" She asked shyly.

"I'm Sakura! That's my cousin, Akane!" I said.

"Oh… Arigatou…" She said shyly. I smiled.

"No problem! Hey, you should really try and stand up for yourself you know?" I said with a smile as I helped her up. She looked up in surprise at me.

"U-um… ok…" She said shyly.

"Sakura." Akane called. I looked to see she was leaving.

"Oh! Coming!" I yelped. I turned to Hinata. "Ja ne!" I said. She looked down, but then suddenly she stood up. I noticed her steady stance. She seemed to be determined to do something.

"Um! I'm Hyuuga Hinata!" She blurted out suddenly looking up at me. I blinked in surprise before smiling.

"It's nice to meet you, Hinata-chan. I have to get going now! I'll see you some other time!" I said as I left the area, noticing Naruto behind the trees watching Hinata. He had seen Akane and I as well. I caught up to Akane and we went back to the house to prepare and practice for the festival.

* * *

The days passed by, and I noticed Hinata would always go by the spot where I played music to listen to my music and enjoy it with one of her guardians. Her guardian would also enjoy the music very much. Naruto hadn't seemed to recognize me from the island, but then again, he had more on his mind than a girl from an island. Being the Fourth Hokage's son, he was usually trying to get away from his escorts and guards.

He was a mirror image of his father so it was expected that he would be recognized as the fourth Hokage's son, and if the enemies of the Fourth Hokage could hold him hostage, they could even bring down the whole village.

I had seen many Uchiha around the village, but I never saw Sasuke or Itachi or their parents. I didn't bother searching though, knowing I would meet them sooner or later. Team 7 would be formed no matter what. The Rookie 9 would become ninja. The Konoha 12 would fight together.

I knew that.

If those specific teams hadn't been created, and we never had met and learned to fight together as comrades, then we may never have survived the attacks from Orochimaru or the Akatsuki.

The night of the festival, my cousins and I were setting up in the park. We would finish our performance just before the sun set and the fireworks started. I was setting up with my guitar and strumming lightly as the audience gathered.

We would be performing in front of the lake, at the bottom of the hill. The people would be able to watch the fireworks from their places on the hill. It would be a good view of the sky for the fireworks.

* * *

Akane and Asami both had their electric guitars, and Miyuki had her drums ready. I had my acoustic guitar and the microphone in front of me. We would be playing a song called "Perfect Day", that I had written.

I started strumming as I sang softly into the microphone. I recognized many people in the crowd watching. Hinata and her parents along with Neji, Tenten, Ino and her parents… I noticed Naruto and his parents. They seemed shocked and surprised. I knew they must have recognized me. Itachi who had been at the top of the hill turned around hearing my soft voice. I knew he recognized it. His parents and brother seemed to recognize me as well.

**Dare mo inai douro de **_**(On a road with no one around)**_**  
Ryoute wo hiroge aruita **_**(I spread my arms as I walked)**_**  
Me wo tojite kara watashi wa sotto **_**(Closed my eyes and then)**_**  
Kokoro no naka de **_**(Softly in my heart)**_**  
Chiisana kake wo shita nda **_**(I made a little bet with myself)**_

Akane started playing her electric guitar softly along with mine, joining in on the music. Itachi and his parents along with Sasuke had joined the audience along with another group of people.

**Hakusen kara ochitara make **_**(If I fall of the white line, I lose)**_**  
Mukashi konna no yatteta **_**(I used to do such things in the past)**_**  
Ahh~  
Nanka natsukashii na **_**(This is kind of nostalgic, isn't it)**_

Asami and Miyuki had started playing their instruments joining in on the music. I sung louder and louder, with more emotion and strength in my voice. More and more people were joining the audience at the hill. I closed my eyes and sang the song as I knew it. I enjoyed the beat of the music flowing through me. I felt as if I was another person completely… It was amazing. The music flowed through me naturally and my emotions connected with the song as I sang.

**It's a perfect day  
Hikokigumo hashitte oikaketa **_**(I chased after the contrails)**_**  
Itsuka te wa todokutte **_**(One day I'd touch them with my hands)**_**  
Sou shinjiteita kedo **_**(That's what I believed)**_**  
Sora wa amari ni tookatta kara **_**(But the sky remained to far beyond my grasp)**_**  
Chippoke na jibun ga kanashiku omoetanda **_**(And made me feel sad about how small I was)**_

**Omoetanda **_**(It made me feel…)**_

**Moshimo ima inseki ga **_**(Even if, right now, a meteor)**_**  
Futte kiteru to shite mo **_**(Is hurtling down towards us)**_**  
Watashi wa kigatsuku koto mo dekizu **_**(I probably wouldn`t even realize before)**_**  
Tengoku yuki de **_**(I went up to heaven)**_**  
"Maa ikka sore mo ari kana" **_**(**_**"**_**Well whatever, I suppose it could happen**_**"**_**)**_

**Ano hi chiisana bouken **_**(The little adventure we had that day)**_**  
Sukoshi tsuyoku nareta you na **_**(I feel like it made me just a bit stronger)**_**  
Ahh~  
Taisetsu na omoide **_**(That precious memory)**_

**Ahh**

**It's a perfect day  
Hikokigumo hashitte oikaketa **_**(I chased after the contrails)**_**  
Kitto te wa todokutte **_**(Surely I could touch them with my hands)**_**  
Dare mo shinjite nai kedo **_**(But nobody really belives that)**_**  
Watashi shitterunda yo, datte **_**(But I know. After all,)**_**  
Hora mieru **_**(Look, I can see them)**_**  
Zettai tsukamaerun dakara…! **_**(I'll catch hold of them for sure)**_

**Ikidomari **_**(A dead end)**_**  
Tobikoete hashiru **_**(But I'll leap past it and run)**_**  
Doko made mo **_**(As far as I want)**_

**It's such… Such a perfect day  
Tachidomatte sora wo aoidara **_**(When I stopped and looked up at the sky)**_**  
Aoi aoi kyanbasu ni **_**(Across that clear blue canvas)**_**  
Hitosuji no kumo ga kakenuketa **_**(Stretched a single trail of vapor)**_**  
Itsuka no sora to onaji **_**(Just like the sky I once saw)**_**  
Dakara ima **_**(So for now)**_**  
Mou ichido dake te wo nobashita **_**(I'll reach my hand out just once more)**_

**Te wo nobashita **_**(Reach my hand out)**_

**Ahh..**

* * *

I opened my eyes and the crowd clapped in applause. There was loud cheering from many ninja and civilians as well. I smiled to Akane who nodded back in approval with a soft smile on her face. I turned to the audience and introduced our band.

"Hello everyone. Thank-you for listening to our performance today! We're known as the Haruno Akatsuki (Spring's Dawn). I'm the main singer, Haruno Sakura. These are my cousins, Haruno Akane, Haruno Asami, and Haruno Miyuki! We'll be performing in Konoha from now on, so if you like our music, please come and listen! Thanks!" I said smiling.

The crowd cheered again and applauded. The fireworks exploded just then and everyone quieted down watching as the fireworks began. I smiled happily and we packed up. I asked if I could leave and go out on my own. Akane allowed me to go, but told me to get back to the house before my curfew. I nodded and they brought the instruments back home.

* * *

I hung around at the lake after the fireworks and I noticed Itachi at the dock, alone. His parents and his younger brother were coming towards him, but they didn't seem to be in a rush. I decided to talk with him once again.

"Konbanwa, Itachi!" I said. He spun around in shock.

"Sakura. It's really you after all." He said with wide eyes. It was surprising to see Uchiha Itachi with a shocked expression on his face. I smiled and hugged him. He hugged me back and chuckled.

"It's been a while since I last saw you. You've grown up a little bit." He said. I noticed he had the way finder's string hanging from his pocket. I smiled.

"You still have the way finder!" I said as he let me down. He nodded and pulled it out.

"It's done a lot for me actually. I think it's quite the good luck charm. My teammates haven't gotten hurt at all on the last few high-level missions we've had." Itachi said holding it in his hands.

"Really? That's great!" I said. Itachi chuckled and patted my head lightly.

"You've given me a great gift." He said with a smile. His face turned to a soft curious look. "So why are you and your cousins here?" He asked.

"Oh. I wanted to become a ninja!" I said. He looked shocked. I could sense his parents and his brother close enough to hear our conversation.

"Wait. Wait… Aren't you the clan heir?" He asked.

"Yup!" I said smiling proudly. He stared at me confused.

"Then why are you all the way out here, so far away from home?" He asked.

"Hm… It's a bit of a long story… but to make it short… I decided I wanted to be a ninja, a year after I met you. Kaa-chan and Tou-san didn't know about my decision of course, not until I told them." I said sitting down on the dock.

"And they just let you come all the way out here? You're the heir to the Haruno clan aren't you? What about leading the clan?" He asked. I could tell that his parents were staying back and not interrupting our conversation curious about me.

"I can lead the clan if I want to… but really, everyone on the island is just one big family. There's no need for a real leader. Remember what it was like? Everyone is equal. My father seems like the leader, because everyone respects him so much." I said. Itachi sat down and sighed.

"Isn't your clan specialty music though? Shouldn't you be focusing on a musical carrier?" He asked. I smiled.

"What do you think about children's lives, Itachi?" I asked changing the topic.

"Their lives filled with peace and love… A life of purity... but I don't understand what the has to do with-" I cut him off.

"Hm… I think that children should be allowed to follow their dreams." I said. Itachi looked surprised at me. "Dreams can be made a reality, if you have the courage and the will to try and reach out for them. Don't you think so?" I asked. Itachi looked surprised but he seemed to understand.

"Hm… You're right…" He said. I nodded.

"Kaa-chan and Tou-san say that if I chase my dreams, I can be better than just a doll controlled like a puppet." I said. Itachi's eyes widened. His parents seemed very into listening in on the conversation. Sasuke was only watching us. I looked at Itachi. "I'm free. They said they didn't want to be obstacles. They didn't want me to hold anything back…" I said.

"You wanted to see more didn't you?" He asked me.

"Hai… I wanted to see what was beyond that blue ocean and the blue sky… that's why I was always sitting out at the cliff with that tree." I said.

"Following your dreams… I want to do that." Itachi said.

"You want peace... right…?" I asked. Itachi nodded.

"Then, I can help you too. I wanted to become a ninja to do that. We know the island is an example… Spreading that happiness and peace… It would be amazing… Ne?" I asked. He nodded in agreement.

"Wait, then how did you find out about Konoha and my village?" He asked.

"Um… Well… actually, Tou-san told me his parents were also ninja from clans… He knows about the different ninja villages in general… He had a few things that would help me when I learn to control my strength and he gave them to me… We moved to Konoha because of the history of the village… It's because the village has been the source of many problems… but also the most peaceful village." I said.

"So do you know what clans his parents were from?" He asked. I shook my head, lying slightly. I didn't want the elders or any ninja targeting me to train me to become a weapon for the village.

"No. Not really. His parents had run away from their clans. He was given a few clan relics that they had taken since his father was a clan heir. He didn't know much about their power… only a few things he told me. I don't really understand it myself…" I partially lied.

"Hm… Do you really believe we can do this? I mean… Bring peace to the Shinobi world…?" He asked.

"Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality." I recited. He looked at me in surprise. I stood up. "I read that from one of the oldest scrolls on the island library… I think it's true… but you have to believe as well."

"Hm… Alright. It's a promise." He said. I nodded holding out a pinky. We shook on it and he smiled lightly. "Do your best to become a ninja, Sakura." He said. I nodded with a determined look.

"I have to go now. I'll see you some other time, Itachi!" I said. He nodded and I rushed off.

* * *

I ran past his parents and Sasuke who was the same age as me at the moment. Sasuke made eye contact with me, a dark look on his face. I wondered what was with him. He looked… jealous… Wait.

JEALOUS?

I sweat dropped. That was just great. Sasuke's bond with me was off to a bad start… because of the connection I had with Itachi.

* * *

I got back to the house ready to practice my technique in controlling water, moving it around, solidifying, and turning ice back into liquid.

I had pretty much gotten solidifying it down, but turning ice into liquid was a little harder. I had to vibrate the chakra so that the molecules started to move around and space out to turn ice to water. It was hard because if I vibrated the chakra too much, it would shatter the ice and turn it into sparkling ice particles.

* * *

Days later, I was playing my guitar when I noticed Sasuke staring at me. He seemed to admire my music, but also looked jealous. I finished practicing and packed my things as the people left, when Sasuke walked up to me. "Hey, you're Sakura right?" He asked. I nodded. He had a glare on his face. I sweat dropped. "You know… Itachi's **my** brother." He said, almost possessively.

I sweat dropped.

"Really? That's cool! Itachi is really cool you know. You're really lucky to have him as a brother. I have my cousins but I don't have any older or younger siblings…" I said innocently trying to calm his mind and get him off of the idea that I was '**stealing'** his brother in a way. His expression quickly changed and Sasuke sighed.

"He's always on missions though… and he doesn't really have time for me…" He said. I looked at Sasuke feeling slightly sorry for him.

"Your name's Sasuke right?" I asked. He looked up at me.

"How'd you know that!" Sasuke asked in shock.

"Itachi. He really loves you a lot." I said. Sasuke looked surprised. "He told me all about you. You are his most precious person. I can tell. I think he loves you even more than your parents. He might be busy all the time, but he cares a lot about you."

"Really…?" He asked.

"Yeah. He told me about how you always love to chase cats, how your hair is shaped like a cockatoo, how you're skilled for a kid that's your age. You might not progress as fast as he does, but your potential, he told me, is higher than his. Speed in progress doesn't matter. What matters more, is how much you can grow in your strength." I said.

Sasuke pouted in embarrassment at the fact about his hair and the cat chasing, but he brightened at the fact about his potential. "He… he really said that about me?" Sasuke asked in surprise. I nodded. It was true. Itachi told me about Sasuke and he had said all of those things.

"I wouldn't tell anyone anything. Don't tell him I told you that. I think he would rather kiss his cousin, Shisui, than admit he said that about you, and he told him his cousin is very very annoying." I said giggling.

"You even know about Shisui-nii?" Sasuke asked in surprise. I nodded.

"But… how come Itachi can talk to you so easily…? How come he doesn't talk to me?" Sasuke asked.

"Because he doesn't need to…. Your bond as brothers is much stronger, than my friendship with him. It's easier to talk with your friends, but your bond as brothers gives you a stronger bond that I can't reach. You can help each other improve and always be there to help each other." I said. Sasuke looked at me curiously.

"Do you think… that my parents would let me learn music?" He asked.

"Yeah. I think so. I know your parents listened in on the conversation that Itachi and I had on the night of the festival. Hey, you're going to be in the academy this year right?" I asked. Sasuke nodded.

"We'll be in the same year. I bet I'll be a better ninja than you." I said grinning. Sasuke shook his head with a smirk on his face.

"No way! I'm not going to get beat by a girl! Especially one with pink hair!" He said with a grin.

"Hmph! We'll see, cockatoo head!" I said playfully.

"That's a promise!" Sasuke said with a smile holding out his pinky. I grinned and hooked my pinky with his. We shook pinkies.

And so that was the beginning of my strange rivalry and friendship bond with Sasuke.

* * *

I heard from Sasuke a few days later, at the park, we met, and his parents and brother nearby, keeping an eye on him. He was holding his guitar case and he sat beside me, telling me all about how he managed to get his parents to get him a guitar, and get them to find someone to give him lessons.

I decided to get him a little ahead by teaching him a few notes and the basics. He was eager and happy to learn. He was determined to try and best me at playing the guitar. I laughed and told him it'd be decades before he could beat me.

Akane often watched over me in the park, when she wasn't busy making arrangements with our new sponsor… I had been shocked when I found out that the Uchiha Clan was willing to sponsor our music. It seemed that my bond with Sasuke and Itachi had also helped get the head of the clan, Fugaku, to agree with his wife, Uchiha Mikoto, in sponsoring us.

Mikoto adored all four of us but she would always glomp me first. I was the "cute and innocent" child, in the group. Sasuke was still jealous though, even though I had talked with him about it. Akane and Itachi both became good friends once again though I could tell there was also something deeper in their bond of friendship.

I would watch them closely when I had time, but I had to focus on the problem of the Uchiha Clan and the Elders first, or it would end up badly for the both of them.

I had to fix this.

Failure was not an exception.

* * *

Coming up next… Chapter Four: To Meet and Destroy the Painful Past…

Some of you can probably already tell what's going to happen in the next chapter from the title and the foreshadowing I used at the end. Those of you who don't get it, will just have to wait for the next chapter and it depends on your reviews how much closer that update date gets. I liked the reviews from the last chapter and the chapter before, so I updated earlier than planned for both chapters.

BTW, the song that Sakura sang was **"Perfect Day" by Supercell**. I think that the voice is sort of like Sakura's Japanese voice. Argue with me that I'm wrong if you want, but this is what I think. I'm not trying to insult the singer of Supercell either, so don't take it offensively if it is offensive. I love the voice of the singer from Supercell and I like Sakura as well.

I'm not sure about the translations, but it's what I found off the net. You should listen to it. I think it's an amazing song.

Yay! Remember, the **more 'good' reviews**, the **faster **I'll** update**!  
**Actually… I couldn't help but update early cuz I was feeling so good.**

**I am still feeling pretty good, so the deadlines for me to write the chapters will be shorter and updates will probably come sooner!**

**Chapter 4** Will most likely be posted **before or on… July 18****th**** depending** on **how much** you guys put in for **reviews**! I updated early because I liked all the reviews I got, especially the longer reviews. Please continue to review, all of you!

-SasuLovesSaku4Ever


	5. Chapter 4: To Meet and Destroy the Past

Alright! The **Fourth Chapter is finally up**! 

I LOVE ALL THE REVIEWS! You guys are all really awesome! Thank-you! 

**Replies to reviews first though… **

Ok… Then.

**Sakura'sGhettoInner: **Haha! I'm glad you loved it so much! I guess this chapter has a little more according to the story line and Sakura focusing on her goals. Please continue to review! Thanks!

**PostiveCharm416: **I'm happy you love it so much! Thanks for the review!

**SasukeXSakuraLov: **Haha. Thanks! Well, their rivalry was pretty much all about Itachi's attention in the beginning. I meant for Sakura to "accidentally initiate the rivalry with Sasuke to push him harder in improving his skills. Oh! I nearly forgot! Thanks for reminding me! I have a good part in store for Shisui in the next few chapters. Unfortunately, he won't show his face too early, not yet at least.

**Laurie-Estelle: **Thanks! I'm glad you like it! Here's your next update!

**Kisa Black: **Haha. The movie is Naruto "Road to Ninja" Movie 5, released in Japan on the 28th… Not sure when it'll be translated, but I really hope that it's soon!

**Stanleyxx: **Thanks! Here's the next update!

**Jasmine-.-Momo-chan:** hehe. Yeah. I can totally imagine his jealous face and it make me laugh cuz he looks so cute as a kid.

**Otakugal: **I know right? Seriously. His new style was just… weird… I think he looks good in those clothes… but still, it's strange to see him wearing that stuff.

**Yatogirl: **Awww! Thanks! Hehe, I love a lot of Japanese songs… I'm obsessed with anime songs, but there are a few singers that I like and actually try finding their songs. Thank-you!

**Nuria Sato: **I LOVE YOUR AMAZINGLY LONG REVIEWS! Well, don't get the wrong idea. Hinata still likes Naruto, but I'm going to mix it up. They'll both like each other, and everyone knows but those two. It's like that –facepalm- relationship where both sides are totally oblivious to each other's feelings. Ooooh… Hm… About the Sasusaku Kiss? Hm… I'll think about it a little later… They're still kids after all. Then again, Sakura kissing him would be pretty cute… 

**candybluesful: **Thanks! I'm glad you like it! Please keep reviewing and let me know what you think!

**xasianbuddyx: **YOU ARE AWESOME! THANKS! Haha. I know. I was just youtubing for songs by the band Supercell and I found the PV. It's sooo cute… I like the characters! Haha. Ok. I was really tempted to update just for you when you reviewed, cuz I know the feeling of waiting for another update… So, I'm updating right now! Yeah, I always liked Mikoto too, and so I'm going to make her be nice in this story all the way. Thank-you! You're amazingly long review is very motivating. Seriously, I wanted to update when I read the review, but of course, that would have cut the chapter short.

**1Animefreakgurl: **hahaha. Yeah. I always liked Haku's bloodline… Kishimoto just had to kill him off… Sakura will still gain hulk strength like tsunade later on. I always thought insane strength was pretty cool too since it totally freaked Kakashi and Naruto out in the beginning of Shippuden. I just loved the look on their faces. Too funny. Thanks for the review!

* * *

Ok then. Also, I got the an idea from this chapter from a Sasusaku doujinshi. I'm not really sure what it's called but I'm not really copying the doujinshi completely anyways. I thought it was a really cute doujinshi.

Now then! Shall we begin?

Legend:

"_Thought"  
_"Speech"_  
__"Spirit/God/Goddess/Any spiritual-like being"__  
__** "Sakura's inner"  
**__**"Demon/Tailed Beast"**__**  
**_**"Emphasis"  
Singing **_**(Translation)**_

– Point of View P.O.V. – (Place)  
Chapter Number: Chapter Title

* * *

_**A Light and Shadow in the Past**_

Chapter Four – To Meet and Destroy the Painful Past…

– Sakura's POV – (Konohagakure – The Village Hidden in the Leaves)

The day of the academy orientation was coming quickly. I had been sent a letter from the academy telling me what supplies I would need and everything that was required of a student at the ninja academy.

After getting the supplies with Akane, we practiced and I trained on my ability to manipulate water. By that time, I had started to get the hang of turning ice into water, but I had to focus. I needed to learn it so I could do it instantly.

* * *

When the academy orientation came, I was standing near Sasuke. I noticed Sasuke looking at his father with a slightly sad look. The day of the massacre would be in about two years and three months… I had two years and three months to fix things with the Uchiha clan and their way of thinking.

The next step would be getting rid of Danzo, after all, he had been the source of all problems within the Leaf village, because he wanted to become Hokage and change the village ninja to become like his Root ninja.

The elders and council was a problem as well. They'd been in control of the village for way too long. It was time to pick new elders… Akane was listening to the Hokage, Minato, speaking about the coming year. Many of the other students were curiously looking at me.

After the speeches, Hinata came up to me and happily greeted me. "Ohayo, Sakura-chan!" Hinata said happily. I believed she had taken my advice about standing up for herself. She seemed a bit more confident than she had been in the past. She had taken a glance at Naruto when she saw him but he hadn't noticed. I didn't say anything, not wanting to embarrass her.

I noticed that many other girls were glancing at Naruto with blushes. They all knew Naruto was the son of the Hokage and liked him for his status and his looks weren't bad either. I then noticed Naruto glance over at us, staring at Hinata. Hinata on the other hand was totally oblivious to Naruto looking at her.

This was really really amusing. Seriously…

"Hey! Sakura!" Sasuke called. I noticed him walking towards me. A few girls looked at me in jealously.

"Sasuke?" I asked blinking. He had a smirk on his face.

"So you're a ninja too? I'm totally going to be way better than you!" He said arrogantly.

"Hmph. You? Beat me? Maybe as a ninja since you are from a ninja clan, but never in music." I said noticing the guitar case behind his back. He growled.

"Fine! That's a challenge!" He said with a fierce glare, but I could tell he was happy. I smirked.

"Sure! I'll try and beat you as a ninja then." I said holding out a hand with a smirk. We shook hands on the challenge, feeling the tension of the competition rise between us. Then he left and went to his father's side. Hinata looked at the two of us curiously.

"You know Uchiha Sasuke-san?" Hinata asked.

"Huh? Oh. Well. I know his brother better… You could say that Sasuke thinks I'm trying to steal away Itachi from him." I said sweat dropping. Hinata giggled shyly.

"That's strange…" Hinata said. I grinned.

"Yeah, but what the heck, it's fun to get him all flustered and angry!" I said. She laughed lightly. Akane had just finished talking to Iruka and asking about the classes. She waved over to me and I blinked.

"Oh. I have to go to my cousin. I'll see you some other time ok, Hinata-chan? Hopefully, we're in the same class together!" I said. She smiled and nodded. I went up to Akane and Iruka looked curiously at me before smiling.

"You look like you'll become a great ninja in the future. Work hard Sakura. I hope to see you doing well in my classes." Iruka said. I nodded with a smile.

"Let's go Sakura." Akane said.

"Okay." I said. Akane took my hand. I noticed Ino looking at me curiously… It didn't seem like she had any bad intentions. I wondered what she was thinking at the moment? I was pulled away before I could really see her feelings within her eyes, and Akane and I went back to the house.

That night, I wondered… what had changed about Ino because I hadn't been there? Was she still that out-going and strong person I knew?

* * *

The next day, I went to the academy and found my class list. I was in the same class as the Rookie nine, like in the past. I walked into the class early, to find Sasuke sitting beside Shino. Ino sat behind Sasuke, staring at him with a blush, while the other girls stayed away from her.

Two girls sat beside each other behind her staring over her at Sasuke. I wondered why they avoided her…? I decided to take a seat beside her. Sasuke noticed me and glared. I smiled back with a teasing grin. I sat down and put my bag down beside the desk on my side. The bell rang and the other kids entered the classroom. Naruto entered the room with an excited grin on his face.

I remembered that Naruto had been ignored for many many months before he had actually been acknowledged by Iruka… but this time, his parents were alive, and he had a lot of attention on him. He wouldn't be so prankster-like, but he would probably still be idiotic.

It wasn't long after everyone had settled down in their chosen seats that Iruka walked in and took attendance. Then he introduced himself. He gave us our assigned locker numbers and told us our schedules would sometimes be different from the opposite gender in the class because the girls were taught differently in some classes. There were also clubs that we could join to obtain more skills in different area.

* * *

At break, I went to my locker and placed my extra supplies in the locker. I put a chakra lock on my locker, and also placed a low level protective jutsu on it, to keep people from writing on it. I didn't have to use hand signs, being used to practicing these jutsu for a while.

I went back to the classroom at break and the other boys seemed pretty happy. Iruka started teaching after giving out the textbooks and at lunch time there were older kids advertising the different clubs. Many girls were surrounding Naruto throughout the day and I noticed he disliked the attention. Hinata usually stayed a distance away from him and watched, shyly, while Naruto would glance at her in class, but she never noticed.

Somehow, I wasn't surprised. When they got together, everyone would probably have known except for each other.

* * *

Back to clubs, there were many clubs I had wanted to try when I had been younger, but no one would let me because I was the loner in the school and the girls would always insult me, so I hadn't been too active.

This time… I would change that though…

I had decided on joining the training club, the taijutsu club, the ninjutsu club, the genjutsu club, the medics club, and the music club. There were requirements for each club, but I could easily fulfill them all.

The training club had to be free for Monday after school hours and be dedicated to all types of training, meaning not going just to hang out, but to train and work on your skills. Apparently, that club was also watched by jounin sensei, so potential and dedication could be gauged. It was sponsored by all academy teachers.

The Taijutsu club had to be free for Tuesday after school hours, and also be dedicated to improving ones taijutsu skills. Gai was keeping an eye on that club, but it was sponsored by Iruka sensei.

The Ninjutsu club had to be free for Wednesday after academy hours. It wasn't actually sponsored by any teachers. It was actually just a bunch of kids that wanted to teach each other. Some also wanted to show off their skills to other students. You didn't actually have to have the ability to use the jutsu, but it was considered extremely "cool" if you knew how to use the jutsu that weren't taught in the academy.

The Genjutsu club had to be free for Thursday after school hours. It was sponsored by Kurenai-sensei. Yes, the teacher of Team 8. Yuuhi Kurenai. The genjutsu club studied how genjutsu were placed and controlled, and were taught the basics of placement of genjutsu to do it on their own.

The Medics club had to be free for Friday after school hours. They weren't actually sponsored. It was like the ninjutsu club, a bunch of kids trying to help each other. If you could perform medical ninjutsu though, it was also thought of as extremely rare and you would be known as the 'leader' of the group, since no one had been able to ever learn medical ninjutsu at such a young age.

The Music club had to be free for lunchtime hours to practice. They were sponsored by Suzume-sensei, a female sensei of our year at the academy who taught the female specialty classes. It would be started after a month of recruiting and a month after the music classes had started.

* * *

On the first meeting of the training club, many serious students at the academy were there, including a few from the Konoha 12. There was Neji, Hinata, Lee, Tenten, Shino, and Sasuke. I was surprised that Naruto hadn't shown up.

At the same time, I wasn't surprised though, because the fourth Hokage could easily train him… but the Hokage was quite busy.

"So you showed up too." Sasuke said. I smirked.

"Why wouldn't I?" I asked innocently. Sasuke glared.

"I won't let you beat me." Sasuke said.

"Why would I try to beat you?" I asked raising an eyebrow, acting completely clueless. Sasuke growled and turned away, having enough of my innocent act. I smiled lightly. It was fun, teasing Sasuke like this. I couldn't actually "steal" his brother, but he insisted on thinking like that.

"Sasuke-san looks irritated…" Hinata said quietly walking to my side. I laughed lightly.

"That's putting it way too lightly Hinata-chan. He's angry and jealous." I said just loud enough for Sasuke to hear. Hinata sweat dropped.

"I am not." Sasuke growled.

"Oopps. He heard that?" I said loudly. Sasuke glared. I grinned lightly and raised an eyebrow.

* * *

We trained until around dinner time, when the academy senseis all told us to go home. I noticed Sasuke's parents and brother had come to pick him up. Sasuke ran towards Itachi happily. I smiled lightly, happy for Sasuke. He really was a kind and innocent person but after the massacre, he had changed.

I hummed one of the new songs I had written down softly as I walked away from the academy, looking up at the sky. The colors of the sky really looked beautiful when the sun was going down. Akane had told me to go and grab some things before I headed home after school if I was staying out late.

I went out to buy them, and it was nearing dinner time when I was done. She had given me extra money to get myself a popsicle and told me I could get one on the way home if I wanted.

I was walking down the path when I heard someone call my name. "Sakura?"

I noticed Sasuke's family had noticed me walking nearby. Sasuke had called my name. "Oh, hey Shasuke." I said casually with a teasing grin, the popsicle stick in my month. He twitched, in slight annoyance, trying to hide his negative feelings towards me, not wanting to let Itachi see. Itachi seemed completely confused at the two of us when he noticed his brother's annoyed expression.

"Are you headed home, Sakura dear?" Mikoto asked.

"Hai." I said with a smile with the popsicle stick in my mouth and two bags in my hands.

"You bought that stuff on your own?" Mikoto asked in surprise. I nodded.

"Akane-ne ashed me to gert it ater shchool." I murmured with the popsicle stick in my mouth. Mikoto had hearts in her eyes and she glomped me, as usual. I sweat dropped unable to dodge.

"You're sooo cute!" Mikoto squealed. Sasuke smirked at me and I glared at him.

"Akane asked you to get that stuff after school?" Itachi confirmed. I nodded, the popsicle stick still in my mouth. "It's kind of dangerous for you to be out alone at this time."

"That's true! You're not just any girl now after all." Mikoto said.

"We'll walk you back. It's on the way towards the compound anyways." Fugaku said. I wasn't surprised… Fugaku had a cold front in front of everyone else, but he could be "ok" at times.

I knew he loved Sasuke, but didn't show it as much as Mikoto did. Mikoto smiled.

"Yes! That's a great idea!" Mikoto said.

"What…?" Sasuke asked in shock. He didn't want to. I grinned at him and he glared.

Itachi took the bags from me and took the popsicle stick out of my mouth, throwing it out. I pouted. He smirked lightly. "I couldn't understand you, with that stick in your mouth." Itachi said with a smirk.

"Awww… that was a waste, there was still some taste on it!" I whined.

"Hn." Itachi said. I pouted and we walked back to the house. Akane opened the door and thanked Itachi and his parents along with Sasuke for walking me home.

* * *

On Tuesday, at the Taijutsu club, I met Gai, Rock Lee, Neji, Shino, and Hinata. Lee seemed to like my spirit, but Neji also seemed to favor me because I was able to keep calm compared to other students. Like in the training club, I kept my abilities to the average level, hiding my true ability.

The day after, on Wednesday, at the Ninjutsu club, I met Shikamaru. The other students talked about what they were looking into and we all did, before heading to the library to research. Shikamaru didn't say much about what he researched, but I knew he always read things about trap ninjutsu and things like that. There, I was able to find out what jutsu I would have backing on, to keep anyone from suspecting me for anything.

On Thursday, at the Genjutsu club, I met Hinata, and Ino. The other girls stayed away from Ino. I hadn't said much to her, but I wasn't so sure I would be able to fight her in the chunnin exams if she was friends with me once again… I didn't want to hurt her… but I didn't want to leave her alone either. She most likely considered me an acquaintance.

She had been killed not long before I had rushed to stop Naruto's and Sasuke's battle and died… I hadn't wanted to lose any more friends… It was painful, trying to heal her, and watching her die, telling me thank you for being her friend. I wondered how Sasuke and Naruto had coped… when I had died in front of their eyes… and them being helpless to do anything…

On Friday, at the Medic club, there weren't too many people at the club meeting. Only a few girls who weren't too good with physical things at the academy, but they were quite smart when it came to everything else, like I had been in my academy and gennin days. I shared some medical knowledge with them, deciding if they couldn't become ninja, they'd at least have a good amount of medical knowledge.

* * *

I was able to bond with Sasuke at the academy quite well and he told me a lot about how his family was doing unconsciously. I didn't have to ask. We'd both rant about our families. I'd talk about how annoying it was when they were all quiet and I wanted to practice my music but I didn't want to do it when everything was deafeningly silent in the house.

It was true, because when I wanted to play something I composed, I didn't want anyone to hear yet. I hadn't played anything I had composed by myself in public yet. Akane had helped me with the "Perfect Day" song that I had played at the festival.

Sometimes Sasuke would complain about how his older brother never did things with him and would always poke him on the forehead. He complained about his cousin, Shisui, being an idiot and trying to get himself killed by an irritated Itachi, which was pretty funny to imagine.

An irritated Uchiha Itachi…

Wait…

Was that even possible?

* * *

Itachi was a chunnin at age 11, but he was quite serious about his work as a shinobi. He would be promoted to jounnin quite soon. Sasuke's father hadn't been training Sasuke, being more focused on Itachi. Mikoto showered Sasuke with the love that Sasuke didn't receive from his father.

* * *

I'd been training to perfect my technique of water control and it was getting closer and closer to being able to change the state of water in an instant without effort at all. Just a thought could change the state at will. I was also developing a special type of poison. A poison made from my own chakra.

It wasn't perfected yet, but it was close. The chakra poison would be able to pretty much do anything from within the victim, since it was my chakra under my own control. Once I forced the chakra to dissipate, there would be no remains. It had been developed from my water control technique.

The chakra poison was a part of my plan to get rid of Danzo and the elders. I'd insert the chakra poison while they were asleep with an unnoticeable wound that I would heal and let it flow throughout their bodies. Once it was all throughout their body, I could stop their hearts one at a time.

Danzo had to be killed either way. He couldn't obtain Shisui's eye or harm Naruto in any way. I knew that since Minato was the Hokage at the moment, peace within the village would be easier to accomplish. If I waited too long, then the tensions would rise, and the Uchiha clan would attack the village. Doing it as soon as possible would be the best idea.

However, I would have to act quickly in the midst of the night and not get detected to insert the poisons. Then make sure that no evidence was left behind. As much as I wanted to brutally and violently murder the elders for making Itachi do as they wished, and making Sasuke suffer his whole life, and also Naruto suffer for his life as well, I couldn't attract too much attention.

I had to make their deaths look natural, but I had to catch them off guard. I couldn't kill all of them at once or it would be extremely suspicious to have all three elders die all at the same time.

I knew I couldn't kill the elders and Danzo all at the same time. It'd be too coincidental… I'd kill Danzo "naturally" first… Then Koharu since she seemed like the more stubborn one. Then finally, Homura…

If I left them alone, who knows what would have happened. I knew the elders and Danzo both shared the same views, and they were extremely stubborn… so elimination was the only choice. Leaving them alive and trying to change their views could make it too late. I didn't need to take that risk.

In this world, it was impossible for anyone to know my secret. I had no proof. No one would believe me. If that information was leaked, I would be targeted for my knowledge if people believed in it. I didn't need any extra attention from outsider's eyes. As a music lead singer in our popular band, the Haruno Akatsuki, the attention of the civilians was on me already, and the band was created for our living expenses.

A few ninja already had their eye on me as well because of my music and our connection with the Uchiha Clan. The Haruno Akatsuki's reputation among the crowds was growing.

* * *

The weeks passed and I had mastered my water manipulation technique. I was learning the ability to pull water out of thin air by collection all the moisture in the atmosphere. It took a lot of concentration but I was learning. For the ninjutsu club, I was going to tell them about the exploding clone, even though I knew more medical ninjutsu. Most kids in the club were males and we more into the attacking ninjutsu.

I had already tested my chakra poison going on a nightly adventure and killing a missing nin by making many deep wounds and spreading the chakra. It wouldn't affect the body of the victim in any way. They would merely continue living as they always did. If I decided to do nothing, then the chakra would merely stay within their body unless I forced it to dissipate.

* * *

I played my guitar at the usual place in the park on the weekends and I noticed a group from the academy usually hanging out there near where I was playing. They looked like they were just hanging out, but I could tell they were listening to my playing and singing, so I played songs I hadn't composed on my own, but just old songs I used to play on the island and some performed songs.

Sasuke and I were like friends, but rivals at the same time. I showed my effort, but not my true skill. I noticed that Naruto wanted people to acknowledge him for being Namikaze Naruto, not "the honorable son of the Fourth Hokage" like Konohamaru in my past life… but he also seemed to never give up… I knew he was trying, but his skills weren't good in academy…

Even if the girls cheered him on, he was barely passing. He merely was passed because he was the son of the Fourth Hokage that saved the village. The secret of the Jinchuuriki was kept a secret except to the most trusted ninja. Of course, the other girls liked Naruto for his status. Hinata merely stood back and watched, hiding in the shadows.

The girls at the academy usually gave their food they made in cooking class to either Naruto or Sasuke. Naruto would usually accept it anyway, reluctantly, but Sasuke would refuse completely, merely annoyed.

* * *

On the day the music club started meeting, they told me I didn't need to audition. They told me they had been listening to me practice and knew my skills were enough. They didn't want to discourage other students if I was there at the audition. Everyone knew I was the singer for the Haruno Akatsuki anyways.

I was surprised when I saw that Sasuke was joining as well. He was really serious about trying to surpass me and gain the approval of his brother… He had been allowed to join as well by his parents.

The music club officially had 5 members. I was the Lead Singer. Sasuke was the new guitarist. The others were all civilian born. There was the drummer boy named Hoshi, the lead guitarist, a boy named Hikari, and the keyboarder, a girl named Kohaku. Kohaku had a sweet voice as well and was able to sing quite well, so I decided to have her as my back-up voice.

* * *

One day, for Co-ed training we were put on two different teams. I was on one team and Sasuke was on the opposite team. Naruto was on the same team as Sasuke. The rest of the rookie nine were on Sasuke's team as well. We were playing a game, but with practice weapons from the academy. They would squirt out red paint onto the person if they were hit.

Each team had a specific color ribbon headband, either white or black. You had to try and gather as many ribbons as you could. Once a whole team had been wiped out, then the game would be over. All the girls on my team were giving their ribbons to Sasuke or Naruto and the guys on the other team, were coming towards me. Naruto was accepting them but Sasuke wasn't, so all the girls, ended up giving their ribbons to Naruto.

"Sakura-chan! Please! Take my ribbon! We want you to win!" A boy said bowing his head down. Many other guys from my team were watching me.

"Why? Do you think I'm not capable of taking your ribbons on my own?" I asked. The boy looked shocked and stuttered.

"N-no…" He murmured nervously. I noticed a Sasuke from the other team watching a few meters away, behind a tree, alone but I didn't show I noticed him.

"I'll take them on my own. If you don't have a reason to be in the academy, you shouldn't be a ninja. If you're actually doing a mission like this, you're pretty much handing the enemy your life on a silver platter. Would you really do that as a ninja?" I asked. The boy looked shocked and looked down. "So, I'll ask you, will you give that ribbon to me?" I asked with my hand out.

The boy looked up at my hand before looking down.

"No. I won't!" He said determinedly. I smiled.

"Hm. Good. You're not a bad ninja after all. Go. I'm letting you go back to your team." I said. He left and I sensed many other boys from the other team going back to their side of the field. My team looked at me determinedly.

"Sakura-san! Let's get them!" A boy said. I shrugged and we stole many of their headbands. In the end, the only ones left were Naruto and Sasuke. The girls were cheering them on, and Iruka told everyone I was the only one left in the white team.

I was hiding behind a tree closest to Naruto. I got ready and threw a barrage of weapons at Sasuke. Naruto's eyes widened at Sasuke and he let down his guard. Sasuke focused on himself and was unable to watch out for Naruto. I quickly grabbed Naruto's black headband and smirked.

I stood in the field with many headbands in my hand. Sasuke glared at me. I smirked teasingly. He charged with surprising speed and I decided I would let him win. I blocked his attacks and he grabbed my arm pulling it behind me. He touched my head but I ducked down. From the corner of my eye, he looked slightly annoyed. He grabbed at my headband, but I ducked down lower. He growled and pinned me to the ground. The boys howled in anger as he grabbed my headband. I huffed.

"Aww. So close." I whined. He smirked. I grinned back lightly and he looked surprised, before he grinned lightly as well. It had been pretty fun.

* * *

After the club meeting after school, I decided to initiate my plan. To destroy the elders…

That night, I hid my presence and made a shadow clone in place of myself. I jumped out the door with a kunai in hand. All I needed to do was create a small unnoticeable wound and slip my chakra into the body through the wound while healing it. Then, the chakra would do the rest on its own. When it spread throughout the body, I would be able to slow the heart and stop it, literally.

I dashed through the night, and hid in the shadows. I had a cloak on to conceal my noticeable appearance as well. I managed to get to Danzo's residence unnoticed, and sensed him sleeping inside. His chakra was calm and I had easily slipped past the Root Anbu guards with my special cloaking ninjutsu.

I appeared in his room, and placed a sleeping jutsu to keep Danzo asleep as I cut into his skin slightly on his neck, like a small paper cut. I allowed enough of my chakra to seep into his body and quickly healed the wound before I left the area quickly. I was quite glad Sai had been my friend and told me all about the Root patrols around Danzo. It wasn't easy to find the weakest point, but there was always a weak point in everything.

I managed to get out before I got caught, and my clone allowed me to slip back into the house, opening the window for me, and letting me in. The clone disappeared and I smirked. In two days, the chakra would have spread throughout his body. I would be able to activate my poison at any time and force the chakra to dissipate right after. I doubted that the Uchiha would even try to investigate, due to their slight hate of the elders.

* * *

Two days later, Danzo was announced to have died of old age around noon, when I was at the academy. Only his family and the Third actually went to the funeral.

The Fourth Hokage, Minato had always disliked the elders, I could tell, so it wasn't really a problem. The main council wasn't too biased. It had only been because of Danzo's power, influence, and experience that they had come up following his ideals.

I did the same thing with Koharu just over a month later. Nothing was suspected. Then Homura about three months later… I had done it completely at random, and there was no evidence. The autopsy teams had believed that the fear of old age and death along with the stress of governing the village had gotten to them.

Minato chose new elders, Nara Shikaku, Hyuuga Hiashi, Uchiha Fugaku.

I wasn't surprised he had chosen those three. Shikaku was a great strategist and was extremely smart. Hiashi was well respected among the ninja, and Fugaku was well respected among citizens. The Uchiha Clan was gaining the respect they deserved.

I hoped it was enough to stop the plans of the Uchiha… and I believed it was.

Itachi seemed much more relaxed and he was able to express his emotions in his eyes. They weren't cold. I could tell his eyes were much warmer and he was much happier in his life.

I performed during the festivals and the Uchiha clan helped set up concerts and make the tickets. They were sold just beside the Uchiha clan's police force station. Almost always, the tickets were sold out on the first day. It was amazing how many people loved our music. The Uchiha clan was always allowed to go for free since they were the ones sponsoring us.

We profited a lot from the concerts. I was able to get my own allowance and I had already started filling up my library of a room with shelves of scrolls full of medical texts that I had transcribed. I was always studying medical ninjutsu. I had even started studying seals. After a year of practice, I had managed to perfect the technique of using the moisture in the air to create water.

I had shown the ninjutsu club a few small tricks with just over academy level medical ninjutsu, healing tiny cuts and thinks like that. They were all amazed. The medic club was fun to research with and it also gave me time to transcribe the scrolls and study them without being watched since I was part of the medic club so no one minded.

Even for the music club, we had all bonded and become good friends, and we even decided that we would perform a song for the academy students in the cafeteria near the end of the year. Suzume-sensei had written a piece of music for us and we were happy to perform it.

* * *

One day, I was sitting on the roof top enjoying the view and strumming my guitar softly in a melody I remembered my father once played on his violin when I heard the door open and close. I looked back to see Sasuke. He didn't look surprised. He only smiled.

"Hey, Sakura." He said.

"Hi, Sasuke." I greeted with a smile.

"So are you ready for the performance?" He asked. I nodded.

"You?" I asked.

"Well… it's our first live performance together… I'm a bit nervous." Sasuke said blushing in embarrassment.

"Wow. I didn't expect you to admit that." I said playfully. His face turned darker red.

"Hey!" He pouted. I smiled and leaned my head on his shoulder.

"It'll be fine. Don't worry about it, and just perform with your feelings. Play like you always do, and have fun." I said. He had stiffened when I leaned my head on his shoulder, but relaxed after I spoke those words. I played a soothing melody on the guitar and Sasuke looked at me.

"Um… S-sakura…?" He asked. I blinked. Why was he suddenly nervous? Or at least, he sounded nervous. Did I imagine that?

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Arigatou." He murmured quietly. I smiled.

"What are friends for?" I asked. He seemed to smile lightly but then he frowned.

"I'm still not going to let you beat me." He said quietly. I giggled lightly.

"Sure, Sasuke-kun." I spoke. He was silent. I blinked, realizing it was the first time I had called him with that suffix, since we had met in this time. "Is it ok if I call you that, or do you not like it? I'll go back to calling you Sasuke if you want." I said quickly.

"No. It's… fine… I was just surprised… You… you called me that for the first time… Sakura… I was just shocked because you called me it so suddenly." He murmured. I smiled in relief. I didn't know why, but Sasuke just sounded a little strange.

"It seems to fit your name better. Well, anyways, we should head back down. The bell's going to ring soon." I said standing up and packing up my guitar. I grabbed my guitar and he stared at me blankly. I noticed the light blush on his cheeks, but dismissed it. I must've been imagining it.

I held out my hand. "You getting up, Sasuke?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. Maybe he was more comfortable with Sasuke. He looked away and grabbed my hand. I smiled and we left the roof top.

* * *

– Sasuke's POV – (Konohagakure – The Village Hidden in the Leaves – On the academy Rooftop)

I found Sakura up on the roof top, as I suspected. She always went to some kind of high place to play her music. The place she played on in the park was the safest highest place in the park. She looked back at me and I smiled and greeted her.

I asked about the performance and if she thought she was ready. She was... of course, I wasn't surprised. I was feeling pretty nervous. Kaa-chan wanted to go see it as well and I said anyone could go, but it was probably going to be pretty full in the academy cafeteria. I was embarrassed when she laughed.

But then she comforted me… I was surprised. I closed my eyes feeling her calm feelings flow into me after she leaned on me... like the physical connection had somehow connected our feelings. She played a soothing melody and I felt myself getting nervous. Why was my heart beating so fast? Why did I feel like I was burning up?

I told her I wasn't going to let her win. Indirectly saying I wouldn't let her take Itachi from me, as usual. She would always act clueless, but I had a feeling she knew the true reason for our rivalry.

I thought my heart stopped when I heard her call me the name that all the girls called me… I'd heard it so many times, but the way she said it, it was as if it was natural, like my name was supposed to be like that. I was shocked.

"Is it ok if I call you that, or do you not like it? I'll go back to calling you Sasuke if you want." She said quickly.

"No. It's… fine… I was just surprised… You… you called me that for the first time… Sakura… I was just shocked because you called me it so suddenly." I responded, barely even able to comprehend myself.

"It seems to fit your name better. Well, anyways, we should head back down. The bell's going to ring soon." She said. She packed up her guitar and I could only watch her. My heart was beating so loudly in my ears. I wondered why?

She held out her hand to me. I blinked and looked away before looking at it from the corner of my eyes and taking her hand. She smiled and pulled me to the door. We left the roof top.

I was still wondering. Why was my hand feeling so warm where she touched? Why did my whole body feel over charged with energy? And why the heck was my heart beating so fast!

Never mind that, I couldn't let her beat me! I wouldn't let her get Itachi's approval before I did! I was his brother! If she thought that speech when she was younger was enough to convince me, she was definitely clueless!

* * *

Coming up next… Chapter Five: To Make a Team…

WOW… This is pretty much the longest chapter so far… About 6000 words, according to Microsoft word. I was planning on making a whole Sasusaku themed chapter where Sasuke and Sakura are building their bond, but I kinda decided to include it in this one too and shorten it.

Aggh… my hands are sore… Damn…

Now then… I think I'll get the **next chapter** up **on or before – depending on how many reviews I get – July 28****th****. **

**GASP. That's when the new movie for Naruto is released in Japan! **

Thank you all!

SasuLovesSaku4Ever

**So… Please review if you want it updated faster!**

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	6. Chapter 5: To Make a Team

Yay! The next chapter's up! One of the ideas in this chapter was taken from a fan comic that seems like it's been discontinued. I asked the author of the comic if I could use the idea. The comic is called "Naruto Tensei" and it's posted on deviantart.

* * *

Replies to reviews as usual…

**Guests: **As usual, I'm very happy that you all review and let me know what you think of this time travel story! Please continue to review! 

**candybluesful**: Hahah. Reread the prologue if you wanna know why Naruto's parents are alive. I didn't really explain how, but let's just say, the god did something to change their fate. LOL...  
Oh. The movie's a genjutsu that Tobi made to create an alternate universe in their minds. In my opinion, Hinata's actually more "aggressive and scary" than brave. I saw the trailer and I freaked out when I saw her. Naruto was like "OMG. HINATA'S GONNA KILL ME!" Or at least that's what I thought. Thanks for the review!

**SasukaXSakuraLov: **Yay! Haha. I'm glad you loved the chapter! Yes. Sasu-chan doesn't really realize that he likes Saku-chan, but they become more like friends as time passes by. Thank-you for the fav! Haha. I like updating. Funny how this time I had the sudden urge to update! Please continue to review!

**Haku Yuukinari: **I put a bit of thought into this reply after reading your review. They're old warriors, and they may have finely tuned senses, but there's always someone out there that can become better than the best. I don't really think they're paranoid or anything. Danzo seems pretty secure with his Root ninja. More like, Danzo's an old man who doesn't believe in believing. Same for the elders… Just how many higher ranked and powerful people do we know actually "tried" to finish Danzo off? They're old people, and just part of the village just in control of the politics. Also keep in mind Danzo didn't have the Sharingans implanted in his body at the time Sakura killed him, so he didn't have some extra eyes.

I doubt that the masked man's aim was actually to kill Danzo. Merely he wanted to turn Sasuke against the village, and the villages against Sasuke. Since no one knows the actual truth about the Uchiha massacre, they don't know that Danzo's actually "corrupted" and just wants more power until later. The masked man also used Sasuke to do his dirty work for him in a way. 

**Kisa Black:** Hahah. Yes. Sasuke has a crush. Hm… I think I can make that happen… Sasuke will be SOOOO JEALOUS. Of who should I make him jealous of though…?

**emosaku: **haha. I'm glad Danzou's dead as well. I don't really understand what you said for the second sentence… but you want Sasuke to be happy, yes? haha. Well, they're singing! 

**Sakura'sGhettoInner: **Heheh. Yes. They are totally in love but not "seriously" yet. Read this chapter and you'll find out. Though I didn't really explain it too much in depth… If you want more details about it, I can tell you. Just ask.

**Otakugal: **Yes. Naruto's a Jinchuuriki. The fate of his parents was changed by the "God" that Sakura talked to. As for Akatsuki, Not yet. They won't be appearing until later on. I don't think the masked man was linked to the elders in anyway. He probably only appeared to Itachi.

**CrimsonWolf: **Thanks. I'm glad you're reviewing! Haha. Sometimes I'm too lazy to sign in as well.

**Jasmie-.-Momo-chan: **Yesh. He ish in L.O.V.E. haha! I'm gonna make him sort of clueless.

**Nurai Sato: **OMG. LOL. This is seriously such a long long review! I'm sooo HAPPPY! You're awesome! The best reviewer ever! Hahaha. I guess it is really one heck of a story that I planned out. Oh. A little later there will be funny scenes surrounding the idea of Sasuke's jealousy. Hm… Not really. I didn't really plan on doing the bud conversation because Sakura's not exactly shy now… It wouldn't really make sense either, since she became part of the music club, and she's pretty well known for her music. Hahah. I'm happy you've decided to give me long reviews. I really like the amount of info you put into your reviews and what you think! Haha. I hated Danzou as well and the elders were just pretty annoying people who butted into things they didn't need to butt into. I decided to allow the Uchiha clan let them go as it is, since they just wanted to be respected in the village. HAHAH. LOL. I laughed a little when you told me you "blow it up in the writer's face". It gave me a very strange image. Like… a balloon popping in my face, and the balloon material sticking onto my face. Yup. I totally agree with "Old habbits bit hard!" Here's your next update! Thanks for the review and keep them coming!

**Narubleach-lover: **Yes. Ok. Ok. Hahaha! Here's your next chapter. Hahaha. You sound so excited. I'm glad you really like this time travel story. I was a little tired of reading unfinished Sasusaku and Sakura centric time travel stories, and I'm definitely going to finish this, so please keep reviewing!

**Chikyu no Aijin: **haha. I'm glad you LOVE my story. I love Sakura-centric and Sasusaku Time travel as well. I'm obsessed. I try to find as many as I can, but it's pretty hard to find a completed fanfic. It kinda sucked, so I wanted to write my own, fully completed. I'm not gonna stop writing until I get it done, so please continue to review!

Wow. My replies are getting pretty long! But I tend to write longer responses to those who write longer reviews. And I just "argued" for my story in one of them. Haha. I've never actually done that before. Mm… I feel so awesome.

And now. The chapter begins!

* * *

Legend:

"_Thought"  
_"Speech"_  
__"Spirit/God/Goddess/Any spiritual-like being"__  
__** "Sakura's inner"  
**__**"Demon/Tailed Beast"**__**  
**_**"Emphasis"  
Singing **_**(Translation)**_

– Point of View P.O.V. – (Place)  
Chapter Number: Chapter Title

* * *

_**A Light and Shadow in the Past**_

Chapter Five – To Make a Team…

– Sakura's POV – (Konohagakure – The Village Hidden in the Leaves)

The performance day finally came, and we were setting up in the cafeteria early. The parents were waiting outside of the cafeteria and would be allowed to enter later on. I knew my cousins weren't there since they had their own thing to do. They didn't just play music. They still did contribute to the village, doing civilian jobs in stores during the day since they had nothing else to do. We still had many songs from home that we hadn't played, and so we didn't really need to make new ones yet.

Everyone enter the cafeteria and I recognized the rookie nine along with many of their parents. The Hokage and his wife was there as well. I noticed a few other 'future' jounnin there as well. Many civilian parents had come as well.

"Hey everyone! This is Konoha Ninja Academy's music club! We've been practicing different music and getting better with our skills playing together as a band, and we decided to give you a little show today! This is a song that Suzume-sensei picked out, called "Friends". We thank you all for coming and hope you enjoy the show!" I said. The crowd applauded and I turned to Hoshi and nodded.

* * *

Hoshi started playing the drums for the entrance and Sasuke along with Hikari started playing the background for the guitars. Kohaku prepared to do some soft background effects to emphasize the melody. I started to sing.

**onaji egao shiteta**_**(**__**While we wore the same smiles)**_**  
sonna bokura mo **_**(We passed through the years together)**_**  
ikunen wo kasanesugite**_**(**__**The sceneries kept changing)**_**  
surechigau keshiki wo****ukeirerarezu ni mogaiteru **_**(And we struggled to accept it)**_

**muda na puraido sutesari**_**(**__**I throw away my useless pride)**_**  
kono sekai ni yasashisa **_**(May kindness come to this world)**_

**Woah…**

Then the chorus started and I smiled widely, singing my heart out. Sasuke seemed to enjoy his playing, along with Hikari, and Hoshi grinning, playing as hard as he could on his drums. He really seemed to enjoy it.

**I Gotta Say**

**yuuki wo misetsukete mo tsuyogatte mo**_**(Even if I show off my bravery and my strength)**_**  
hitori dewa ikirarenai**_**(**__**I can't survive alone)**_**  
ano hi no yakusoku nara**_**(**__**Our promise from that day)**_**  
kokoro no fukaku ni nokotteiru yo ima demo **_**(It remains firmly in my heart, even now)**_

**wakarete mata deai**_**(**__**New encounters come after each farewell)**_**  
arata na michi ni hikari mitsuke arukidasu**_**(**__**I find light down a new path, and move on)**_**  
umarete kara zutto**_**(**__**Since the day I was born)**_**  
kurikaesu koto de tsunagatteku **_**(That has been the way my life is molded)**_

**itsunoma ni kimi to boku mo**_**(**__**Before we realized it)**_**  
sorezore mirai wo te ni shite **_**(We have both found our own futures)**_

**I Gotta Say**

**tooku hanareteite mo aenakute mo**_**(**__**Even if you are far away where I can't meet you)**_**  
tsuyoi kizuna wa aru kara**_**(**__**There's a resilient bond between us)**_**  
"yume ga kanaimasu youni"**_**(**__**"May my dreams come true.")**_**  
kokoro no soko kara inotteiru yo**_**(**__**I am praying from the bottom of my heart)**_

**We're friends forever**

**mata au koto wo chikai**_**(**__**We pledged to meet again someday)**_**  
yubikiri shite**_**(**__**Crossed our little fingers)**_**  
bokura wa arukidashita ne**_**(**__**And set out that day)**_**  
mienai ikisaki eto**_**(**__**For unseen destinations)**_**  
mayoinagara demo**_**(**__**And though we may be lost)**_**  
susundeiru yo**_**(**__**We are making progress)**_**  
itsudemo… **_**(Always)**_

Kohaku played her solo while I sang, and Hoshi joined in with his drums before Sasuke and Hikari joined in at the end of the next part.

**kawariyuku kisetsu to**_**(**__**Through the changing seasons)**_**  
toki no naka**_**(**__**And this fleeting moment)**_**  
natsukashii melodies**_**(**__**I listen to these nostalgic melodies)**_**  
otona ni natte mo**_**(**__**Even when I become an adult)**_**  
isoase wa shinai yo**_**(**__**Some things won't fade)**_**  
bokutachi no precious memories **_**(Like our precious memories)**_

Everything went silent and I sang my next line.

**I Gotta Say**

They started to play together and I sang on till the end.

**yuuki wo misetsukete mo tsuyogatte mo**_**(**__**Even if I show off my bravery and my strength)**_**  
hitori dewa ikirarenai**_**(**__**I can't survive alone)**_**  
ano hi no yakusoku nara**_**(**__**Our promise from that day)**_**  
kokoro no fukaku ni nokotteiru yo **_**(It remains firmly in my heart)**_

**As life goes on…  
wasurecha ikenai kara**_**(**__**I mustn't forget)**_**  
Yeah  
Don't let it go..  
kono hiroi daichi to nakamatachi no koto **_**(I remember this vast land and my friends.)**_

I smiled at the end and the crowd cheered and applauded. Sasuke looked shocked at the applause we received and the cheers. He looked at me, happy and excited. I smiled at him lightly, happy to see he had enjoyed himself. The other band members grinned and cheered in joy.

"Thank-you everyone, for coming to listen to us today!" I called out to the crowd and bowed along with the other band members.

* * *

The years passed by. I was bored most of my classes and ended up reading random medical ninja scrolls behind the textbooks because I was so bored. I made sure to keep a low profile of course. I found out Ino wasn't being bullied, but it was because most of the other girls feared her abilities. She was stronger than I remembered. I knew she had more skill as well… but she was still lower than a gennin level. She obsessed over Sasuke like in the past.

I wanted to befriend her, and I was tempted to, but I didn't know how much she had changed…

She didn't seem to be the same person… I knew I had befriended Sasuke, who was different, but this was because he was never really close to me in the first place… I had loved him, because he was cool, and quiet. His skills were amazing and I had fallen for his looks in the first place as well.

Ino had been the one who showed me friendship, kindness, and the qualities a good friend would have… I didn't know if I could stand it, if she was different… I might accidently lose it and somehow she could find out… I couldn't let anyone know I was from the future… I knew that, so I stayed as an acquaintance to her.

* * *

I visited Sasuke's mansion in the Uchiha compound quite often to practice music with him and also he would even help me with my fighting skills from time to time. We would even train together in his clan training grounds. Itachi was rarely home, after he had become an Anbu, so I didn't see Itachi too much.

I had heard about Uchiha Shisui but, I had never actually met him in person. Fugaku was usually busy with council meetings and meetings with the Hokage. The Uchiha clan thought it was better to actually stay in the compound, since they were all together in one place and could easily meet each other, and they wouldn't be too hard to find.

The Haruno Akatsuki continued to perform as well, and I learned to use single handed hand signs through the scroll my father had given me about the powers of the Yuki clan. It was quite useful, though it took a bit of a while to get used to.

Naruto being the Hokage's son had a name to live up to, even though he didn't want to be known as that name. He hated Sasuke because Sasuke was always quite smug when Naruto failed. I would usually be the one to stop the two of them from getting into a fight. They had a rivalry just like before.

Root Ninja who were already Anbu had become normal Anbu, at least, as normal as they could be. The young root Anbu who were still in training were moved into a special class in the academy taught by a special academy teacher…

They were extremely awkwardly social. I had heard they would be placed in teams of their own and evaluated differently that the other gennin.

* * *

Finally, the day came when we were tested on the academy exams. Naruto was barely passing as usual. His chakra control was terrible, and he could barely even create a single clone. His clones were pathetic, but I wasn't surprised. He always ended up putting too much chakra into it because of his huge chakra reserves. The Kyuubi which was a second source of chakra in his body didn't help with his control either.

After my examination, I was happily walking out with my headband on my head like in the past when Sasuke called my name. I noticed him and his family. His brother wasn't there, but I saw another male beside Sasuke who looked slightly older than Itachi was. Sasuke had his headband on his forehead. I headed over to them.

"So you actually made it." Sasuke said.

"Hmph. I wouldn't have lost to you, cockatoo head." I said teasingly.

"Ooooh! Nice! Sasuke, you just got burned!" A voice said. Sasuke growled in annoyance at the unknown male Uchiha who had just teased him and complimented me.

He turned to me. "So you're the great Sakura I've been hearing about! I'm Uchiha Shisui!" The male Uchiha said with a wink. I noticed Itachi from the corner of my eye throwing a kunai and Shisui just dodged it. "Aieee! Oi, What the heck, Itachi?" Shisui yelped and whined. I grinned and giggled lightly.

"Don't try to taint her mind. She's way too young." Itachi said. Akane was beside Itachi and looked happy to see me. I ran to Akane and hugged her.

"I passed the test!" I said grinning. Akane nodded lightly with a soft smile and patted my head.

"Good." Akane said. That was all I needed to hear from her. I was happy.

"So you passed your test! That's great!" I heard Asami voice. I noticed Asami and Miyuki not too far away. They looked a little mischievous.

"Asami-nee! Miyuki-nee!" I greeted happily. I hugged them as well.

"Popular with the ladies, as usual, Itachi." Shisui said with a grin. Itachi threw another kunai and Shisui whined, dodging it. Itachi continued to throw weapons at Shisui. I sweat dropped along with my cousins, Sasuke, Mikoto and Fugaku.

"You can dodge them all anyways, so stop complaining." Itachi said. Shisui shot back if Itachi wasn't always trying to kill him then he wouldn't be complaining. "You're the one who annoys me so much that I try to kill you." Itachi said. Fugaku coughed and Itachi stopped. Shisui smiled innocently.

"I brought your cousins here for a reason Sakura." Itachi said.

"Ehh? Why?" I asked in surprise.

"We'll be having a dinner with Kushina's family and the Hyuuga Head family at the Hokage tower, so we decided to invite you all as well. You've been a great friend to Sasuke but you might be in separate teams, so we'd thought it would be a good idea have a celebration together." Mikoto said.

"Oh, do we need to dress-" I was cut off. Suddenly there was a yell from the examination room.

"YOU FAIL!"

I winced. "That's probably Naruto." I said.

"No duh. He's dead last." Sasuke said.

I looked at the room window and noticed that Mizuki's chakra was radiating the feeling of hatred towards Naruto. I hoped the same thing would happen and Naruto would gain his headband. I knew he learned of his secret through this… I wondered what his reaction would be since his father was still around. After all… the god who had sent me back had done me the favour of saving Minato's life.

"Back to my question, do we need to dress formally?" I asked Mikoto.

"Hm. I guess it would be best if you wore something nice. Not too formal, but something that looks nice. Your kimonos are all good for the occasion." Mikoto said. I nodded.

"Alright then. I guess we should get ready." I said.

* * *

We parted ways and I wondered what would happen to Naruto. That night, we went to the Hokage tower and met the other families. Naruto didn't show up and his mother was quite mad when he did. He seemed to be sneaking around.

"Naruto! You're late!" Kushina growled.

"Oh! Um… Kaa-chan!" Naruto greeted with a nervous smile.

"You're late, Naruto." Minato said calmly.

"Hurry up, dead last. We're all hungry." Sasuke said boredly. Naruto growled at Sasuke. I sweat dropped. Hinata was blushing at Naruto. Neji merely looked annoyed. Itachi looked bored.

"Why are you so late, Naruto?" Minato asked.

"That's none of your business, dad!" Naruto growled.

"You failed the gennin exam again, didn't you." Minato said calmly. Naruto gritted his teeth angrily.

"It's true, dead last." Sasuke said smirking.

"I WON'T FAIL! MIZUKI-SENSEI TOLD ME ABOUT THE OTHER WAY TO BECOME A GENNIN! I JUST NEED TO GET THE SCROLL OF SEALING AND—" Naruto stopped when his father slammed his hands on the table. I wasn't surprised.

"Naruto, shut up." Minato said. His tone dark and serious… Kushina's eyes were wide with shock. Hiashi looked shocked along with Fugaku. I noticed the Anbu guards in the room stiff. "Kakashi, Shisui. Come out." Minato called. Kakashi came out of the shadows along with Shisui, their masks off.

"Fugaku, Mikoto, Hiashi, Naruto, Kakashi, you all stay here. Itachi, Shisui, can you please escort the others to another room?" Minato asked. Itachi nodded along with Shisui, and they brought us out of the room, although Sasuke protested. Itachi gave him a serious look and Sasuke obeyed reluctantly.

We were brought to another room and given food. I wondered how it was going to progress this time?

* * *

After eating, I was hanging around on the rooftop when I heard someone coming up. I turned to look and noticed it was Sasuke. I sensed Itachi's and Shisui's chakra nearby close enough to hear us, but Sasuke probably didn't notice. His parents and Naruto's parents had been secretly following him and could probably hear us as well.

"How is it that you always manage to find me when I'm alone?" I asked.

"I can just tell where you are. You always seem to like high places." He said.

"I guess." I said shrugging with a light smile.

He stood beside me leaning over the railing and looked down over the village. "Tomorrow we'll probably be on different teams…" Sasuke said.

"Heh! Why are you making such as sad face?" I asked teasingly with a light grin. "Come on. We'll still be able to see each other. Even if we're on different teams, we're still comrades. It's not like I'm moving away or anything." I said with a smirk.

"I'm not making a sad face." Sasuke said annoyed and looking slightly embarrassed. I smiled lightly and looked over the village silently.

"We'll still be friends. No matter what… right?" I asked. Sasuke smiled lightly and nodded.

"Yeah…" He murmured.

I smiled. "Make sure you keep practicing if you want to be better than me at playing the guitar." I said.

"Heh. Don't worry, I'll definitely surpass you. You should worry about your skills as a ninja." He said with a smirk. I smiled.

"You two seem like you're having fun. I hope we didn't interrupt anything." I heard Mikoto's playful voice call. I noticed Mikoto and Fugaku along with Minato and Kushina come up. Sasuke and I both blushed in embarrassment, looking away from each other. Minato had a mischievous look on his face along with Kushina.

"No. Nothing at all! Just teasing Sasuke." I said with a smile.

"Tch. Shut up." Sasuke said acting annoyed. I smirked lightly. I knew the parents knew that we were just acting, but I wanted to keep Sasuke from the embarrassment since he refused to admit we were actually good friends.

* * *

"Sakura! Let's go!" I heard Akane's voice call. She was outside of the Hokage tower at the bottom.

"Sorry. Gotta run." I said smiling lightly before jumping off the railing, and landing lightly beside Akane. She looked surprised.

"That was fast." She said.

"We weren't doing much anyways." I said.

"Sure." Akane said with a light smirk. I looked away and huffed.

"What about you and Itachi?" I asked switching our positions in the conversation. Akane sputtered.

"Wh-what?" Akane asked in shock. I smiled.

"I know all about your feelings for him. You like him don't you?" I asked with a smirk plastered on my face. Akane blushed in embarrassment. "B-be q-quiet!" She muttered. I laughed lightly. It was quite funny to see my normally calm and composed cousin nervous and blushing.

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me." I said with a grin. She looked away, with a red face.

* * *

That night, I was preparing for the next day and I had set down my headband when I noticed the two blades lying against my bed. I put them in my lap… It was strange. Father had given me the blades, and I had unsheathed the sword with the light blue hilt one night. I felt as if a connection had been made between me and the blade somehow… It hadn't been the same with the other blade though… but I could feel something trying to enter my mind when I had unsheathed the other blade.

I stared at the sheathed blade and grabbed its light blue hilt. I wondered if that connection would be felt again this time... or would it be stronger since I had trained my power? I unsheathed and blade and stared at it, wondering what the feeling had been? I sheathed the sword. I fell asleep with the sheathed sword in my hands, feeling a little tired from all the commotion that had happened tonight.

* * *

I found myself in a dark space… The only light around was the moon. It felt cold… but the cold didn't freeze me… I felt as if it had merged within me… like there was ice in my veins…

The moon was waning, turning into a new moon… but the light circled around the edge… Suddenly, I could almost hear the whisper of a voice…

It was echoing… and crushing… Almost as if lightning was falling into my palms…

The light from the moon grew brighter, and suddenly, the light crashed down before me… An ice dragon with red eyes in the spot the light landed.

"What… are you?" I asked in shock.

"Child… You are…" The growling low voice of the dragon roared through the wind of the sudden blizzard that had appeared out of nowhere… However, its voice got less clear as the wind grew stronger.

"What was that?" I yelled out. "I can't hear you!"

"My name is…" The dragon growled. I couldn't hear his name… The blizzard grew stronger before it created a wall between us and I gasped, opening my eyes.

* * *

I sat up and found the sheathed sword in my hands. Did that… ice dragon come from the blade? That familiar sensation… the ice in my veins… It was the same feeling when I had first unsheathed the blade not long after father had given them to me… but it had been much stronger this time…

"Sakura! Your orientation is at 8:30 right? Wake up!" Akane called from downstairs. My eyes widened when I looked up at the time.

It was 8:00 already?

I quickly pulled on my training kimono and my weapons and medic pouch. I clipped on my kunai holder to my thigh and quickly grabbed my head band, tying it over my head. I looked at the two blades for a few minutes, tempted to take them with me, before I ran downstairs and grabbed my breakfast. You weren't supposed to bring any weapons that were visible into the academy since it could scare other younger students.

* * *

I ate and brushed my teeth, combing my hair as well, quickly before heading out to the academy. I got to the classroom and found many of the other students seated in their own chosen spots. Many girls were still arguing over who would sit beside Sasuke and Naruto. Naruto was sitting on the other end of the table, and so they were pretty much all squealing about the seat between. It was my usual seat…

I sighed in annoyance and went to sit down in my seat. "Hey! Pinky! What the heck are you doing? Just because you're the great singer, doesn't mean I have to respect you." Ami, the class bully yelled. I looked at her with a bored look.

"I'm sitting down, in my usual seat. Now beat it." I said, slightly annoyed. I felt as if I hadn't even gotten a wink of sleep… What was that dragon anyways? I remembered it was trying to tell me its name... but why?

"Thanks Sakura…" Sasuke said in relief. He almost seemed happy.

"No problem." I said boredly. I noticed Naruto seemed quite depressed.

Just then, the door opened to show Kakashi-sensei. I blinked in surprise. Ok… This was different as well. I wondered what happened to Iruka? Did he get hurt worse than before? I guess Naruto found out about the nine tailed fox sealed within him... That's probably why he's depressed.

"Well… Good Morning… Iruka's 'detained' so I was asked to assign your teams in his place." Kakashi said boredly. I wasn't surprised. It wasn't much of a job for a jounnin-ex-anbu after all.

"Excuse me, sensei! Who are you? You didn't introduce yourself!" Ino said.

"Oh… My name… is Hatake Kakashi… Now then, all of you quiet down and I'll assign the teams… Now let's see…. Team one is…" Kakashi started to read out the list of teams…

"Wait, how did Naruto pass?" Kiba asked.

"Huh? Oh. Naruto successfully completed a B-rank mission last night and earned his gennin rank." Kakashi said with a serious tone.

"NO WAY! Seriously! Lucky!" A few guys yelled. Most of the girls were squealing about how awesome and cool Naruto was. I merely smiled.

So Minato had assigned the job of catching Mizuki instead as a mission. It wasn't surprising he had that advantage… If his father hadn't been the Hokage, then he probably would have received his head band from Iruka like in the past. Sasuke was looking at Naruto enviously.

I guess it was because Naruto's skills were so low level at the time… and he was probably wondering why he didn't get to do a B-rank mission. He probably was thinking it had something to do with Mizuki as well…

"Alright, quiet down. I'm going to continue with listing out the teams. Team Four is… Team Five is…" I was waiting for Team 7. "Team 7. Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke. Congratulations. You'll be working with me." Kakashi said. I sweat dropped. At least he was going to be on time for our meeting since he was here already…

All the girls in the class stared at me in jealousy. Sasuke looked shocked with relief.

"Heh? So we'll be in the same team after all." I said to Sasuke with a teasing grin. Sasuke looked away in slight embarrassment. I knew he had been worried when he heard my name. I could tell from the expression on his face.

Kakashi said the teams of the rookie nine and I sighed in relief. So we were all in the same teams… Now we had to pass the tests like before…

* * *

After all the teams were called out, Team 7 followed Kakashi to the roof. We introduced ourselves there, and I changed my introduction to a less girly introduction, and talked about what I was quite well known for, my music, but I still acted like a girl. I did it so that I wouldn't get Kakashi's attention. I didn't need it anyways. Of course, Kakashi didn't suspect anything.

Like before in the past, he told us not to eat breakfast or we'd throw up.

That afternoon, I went back home and took the sheathed blade, staring at it. What was that dragon? I had a suspicious it had come from the blade but how was a dragon within the blade? Was there another "thing" inside of the other blade as well? I wondered… If I tried to see the dragon in my sleep again… Would I see it? Would there still be a blizzard?

I decided to go out to train in secret. I had kept up with my true skills and obtained high speed, and insane strength, along with gaining new abilities like casting genjutsu, and controlling water, but I wasn't going to show my true abilities. At least not until the chunnin exams…

* * *

That night, I slept with the blade in my hands, and I dreamt of the dragon again… but the same blizzard made the voice unclear… I couldn't hear it…

When I woke up, I wondered… Maybe if I trained with the blade… could I connect with it more? I had a feeling that the dragon was within the blade… I didn't know why I felt it… I just… had a strange feeling.

I quickly got out of bed and ate, before going to the training grounds. I brought the blue blade only. I would rather focus on using one blade, then using both at the same time. I got to the training grounds and I was later than Naruto and Sasuke, but Kakashi hadn't arrived yet, so I wasn't really late.

* * *

By the time Kakashi came, he was two hours late. I wasn't surprised. Kakashi put me through the genjutsu, but I broke free of it quickly and clashed with him with my sword. I hid my true abilities with the blade and merely slashed at him with quick and weak hits, looking like I was putting a lot of effort into it. He disappeared and I helped free Naruto. Naruto went off on his own, thanking me for helping him and I searched for Sasuke. I helped Sasuke out of the hole and suddenly the clock rang.

Naruto was tied up like last time, and Sasuke offered him food. Kakashi let us out, telling us we passed, but not before scaring us a little. I acted scared, but I was bored to death of his tricks.

Sasuke told us his parents wanted us to go over to his place for dinner. Kakashi said he had some business to take care of. Naruto accepted gratefully. I did as well.

We left right away to the Uchiha compound and we passed by Akane so I let her know I was staying over at the Uchiha's for dinner.

We got to the house and I was greeted first by Mikoto. Itachi was there as well along with Shisui. "Oh! So you got Sakura-chan on your team after all!" Shisui said with a sly grin. I raised an eyebrow. I wondered if they had asked the Hokage to change up the team so that we'd end up together?

"Sakura, you use a blade?" Itachi asked surprised. I noticed the blade was still under my obi.

"Oh yeah… I'm not really good at it yet, but I'm learning." I said touching the blade.

"Would you like to learn some while you're here? I'm a pretty good swordsman myself." Shisui said. I could tell he wasn't joking around. At least this time he wasn't.

"Sure, we have time don't we?" I asked.

"Yes. You have four hours before Fugaku gets back." Mikoto said.

"Alright! Let's get going then. I'll fight against you with my own sword and we'll see from there. Itachi, you can keep the boys busy right?" Shisui asked.

"Hn." Itachi nodded.

"What!" Naruto asked.

"I'll be fine Naruto. I'll be able to focus more, this way." I said. Naruto gritted his teeth. I knew he felt as if he was being left out.

Shisui brought me out to the training grounds and summoned his blade from his weapons scroll. We battled and I used my true skill. I only used one hand but Shisui suggested that I use the blade with both hands since it seemed heavier than a single handed blade.

I was surprised when I felt the feeling flow through my hands. The icy feeling flowed through my veins and body like before. A cold aura was in the air. "Huh…? Is it just me, or did the temperature just lower a bit…?" Shisui asked looking up at the sky.

"Hm…" I blinked in surprise. Shisui looked at me.

"Weird…" Shisui said. We clashed blades and Shisui looked surprised.

"Your hits are much stronger than before… and a lot heavier as well." Shisui said. We both clashed for a few minutes and Shisui taught me a few different blade techniques and stances. I had the urge to push chakra into the blade from time to time as I swung the blade, but I had no idea what it would do, and I didn't want to attract too much attention, so I held the urge to do so back.

* * *

By the time Fugaku got back, I had gained much skill with the blade. We ate at the table. Naruto continued to try and beat Sasuke, and soon, they were having a contest of who could eat the most food. I had the temptation to knock them both on the back of the head, but I settled for hitting their hands with the back of my chopsticks, leaving light pain on their hand as punishment.

"OW!" Both of the boys yelped. They looked at me in surprise.

"You're grossing everyone at the table out, disrespecting our hosts, and if you puke, you'll be wasting food, so eat like normal human beings or so help me I'll tie both your necks in a knot!" I growled with a death glare on my face, letting a cold aura leek out. Shisui, Fugaku, Mikoto, and Itachi all looked quite amused when both boys gulped at the same time and ate much, much slower, afraid that I would get angry at the slightest quick move for food.

We continued to talk and eat as if I hadn't had an outburst of anger. By the time we finished dinner, it was getting dark and Sasuke was forced to walk me home by his parents. Itachi had secretly followed us. I knew it, but Sasuke didn't. Naruto had gone home when Kushina had showed up to pick him up. She had met me just as we were leaving and was quite kind to me.

Sasuke and I walked beside each other down the road towards my house. "So… we got on the same team after all…" Sasuke said.

"See, I told you that you didn't have to worry. You were worried, and I could totally tell." I said smirking. He looked away in embarrassment. I smiled lightly.

"The contest isn't off yet of course. You still have to get better at music and I have to try and best you in ninja life." I said smirking.

"Heh! Yeah right you could beat me." Sasuke said.

"Well, then it's impossible for you to beat me." I said.

"Tch. No way." Sasuke said. I grinned.

"Right back at you." I said. Sasuke huffed.

"Well, whatever." Sasuke murmured, slightly embarrassed as we stopped. We both stood silently in front of the house, feeling slightly awkward. I broke the silence.

"Thanks for the walk home… Sasuke-kun." I said quietly. He nodded and we both parted. I entered the house and Akane smirked at me. I knew she had seen us coming home because the windows had been open.

"So, what was that?" Akane asked. Asami and Miyuki were both grinning.

"Nothing. Just two teammates, walking home together." I said, slightly blushing, denying the fact that I was really falling for him… Not because of his looks, but because of how I felt when I was with him… I felt protected and safe, but not only that… I also felt reassured because of his closeness with me… that he would stay in the village. The village would be safe… For the time being…

"Oooh. I see. Just teammates huh..?" Akane said grinning. Asami and Miyuki giggled.

"I'm going to my room. I need to get up early tomorrow." I said quickly wanting to get out of the embarrassing position in the conversation.

I showered and practiced moving the water around as usual. It responded instantly to my thoughts. I noticed when I moved my hands to guide it, it was even faster than responding to my thoughts and I wondered if I could create a new technique using the water technique and mixing it with Taijutsu.

* * *

That night, I had dreamed of the dragon again… however, the voice was clearer this time… It was really from the blade... I had trained with it… that same icy feeling...but I still didn't hear the name… I wondered… why did it what me to know its name? What did the blade's name have to do with that feeling?

"Sakura." Sasuke greeted me. I looked up to see Sasuke standing against the bridge.

"Oh… Morning, Sasuke-kun…" I greeted him.

Naruto and Kakashi showed up. Kakashi had showed up late, extremely late… as usual, like my past life. I wasn't surprised. We went for all the boring missions. Naruto's father seemed worried about sending Naruto out of the village. I suppose it was because his father was a wanted ninja by other countries and people could use Naruto as leverage to take out the Hokage.

However, Naruto seemed to be getting tired of the boring missions… Days passed, and we didn't go out on the mission to the land of the waves when the day of the mission came. I was a little surprised we didn't go on the mission to the land of the waves.

* * *

The day after, we were in the mission room and Naruto was complaining about a mission when an emergency message came to the Hokage. Minato's eyes widened. He looked up at Naruto before sighing.

"Alright. Fine. I'll give you a higher ranking mission. You're to catch up to Team 8, Kurenai's team. They've run into some trouble." Minato said writing a few things down and throwing a scroll to Kakashi and giving him the emergency message.

Naruto jumped up into the air and cheered happily. Kakashi quickly read the scroll as we walked out. "Alright. All of you pack up for a mission out of the village. Be at the gates as soon as possible." Kakashi said seriously.

"Hai." We all nodded and quickly left to pack up for the mission. I got back home and notified my cousins I was going for a long term mission out of the village. They wished me luck and a safe trip. I packed up and met the others at the gate.

We headed out of the village and Kakashi told us what had happened. Kurenai's team had been attacked by ninja and their mission had been more dangerous than it actually had been reported to be. The paying village didn't have enough money to pay so they lied. Kurenai called for back-up that didn't need the payment, and since we were the team there, the fourth Hokage ordered us to go right away.

* * *

I wondered if I could change the fate of Haku and Zabuza…

I knew it was going to be different this time… but would we all survivie?

I had to worry about saving Team 7 and 8 before I could even think of changing the fate of Haku and Zabuza. Those two had a sad story, but the Rookie nine was important.

We didn't need to see the deaths of academy friends who had just graduated over a week ago.

Little did I know, I'd be the only reason that everyone would survive, without even doing anything for the actual mission itself.

* * *

YES. FINALLY. I UPDATED. OMG. I WANTED TO UPDATE. SO. BAD. LOL. I HAD THIS SUDDEN URGE TO UPDATE. IT WAS SOOO BAD. I COULDN'T WAIT. I COULDN'T HELP MYSELF! Anyone ever have that urge to update? Let me know, because I curse myself sometimes for doing it. I end up shortening my span of time to write out the next chapter and make a LOT of mistakes and mix up the story. HOW DO YOU HOLD IT BACK!

BTW: The **song** that the band sang was **"Friends" by Stephanie**. Also, it's the **2nd ending song of Gundam 00**. I think...

Well, anyways, coming up next… **Chapter Six: To Turn Enemies into Allies**…

Oh… I wonder what my cliffie means. We're finally starting the Zabuza arc though! 

Yes. I'm kinda wondering whether I should write it one way or the other. I have two choices and I HAVE NO IDEA WHICH SIDE TO PICK. –total face-palm much?–

Now then… I think I'll get the **next chapter** up **on or before – depending on how many reviews I get – August 8****th****. **There's a problem with my Microsoft word, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to update for you all on time or not.

I really hope I will be able to do it.

**SPOILER ALERT TO THOSE WHO ONLY WATCH THE ANIME TO THE PARAGRAPH UNDERNEATH:**

So, I'm thinking that "Tobi" or the Masked man, whatever you call him, is really actually Obito, because he seriously talks like he knows Kakashi so well. Like, he said how Kakashi had a "sad and regretful life" or something in one of the latest manga chapters? LOL. I read manga so much I only remember main events about what's happening. I'm too lazy to go and read it right now because I wanna start writing the next chapter for you all. And notice if you say Tobi very fast continuously, you'll sound like your "tobitotOBITObitobi". See it now? I'm very very suspicious. I really suspect him to be Obito… However, I have no idea why he would try to do his "Moon eye" plan to control everyone… Maybe he was just sad that Rin died and Kakashi didn't keep his promise? WHAT HAPPENED TO RIN ANYWAYS!

**-SPOILERS OVER-**

Tell me what you think about who the real TOBI is?

SasuLovesSaku4Ever: Also, did you notice I was rushing a bit? I just jumped over the academy years? If you noticed, good for you. I can't help myself. I REALLLY REALLLLLLY want to jump straight into the chunnin exams, because that's when all the real fighting and stuff starts, but I also like the Zabuza arc, because I'm going to—

Sakura: You're spoiling it! But are you serious? I really get to—

Sasuke: Sakura! You're the one who's spoiling it! Why do I have to—

SasuLovesSaku4Ever: -jumps between the two and pushes them apart to shut them up- ANYWAYS. Ehem. I like the Zabuza arc, because there's fighting and action in it too. I'm going to—

Sasusaku: YOU'RE SPOILING IT! 

SasuLovesSaku4Ever: -dizzy because both of them yelled in my ears-

Sakura: Now, why don't we act out this part, Sasuke-kun? –takes out book with next chapter's plans in it-

Sasuke: -reads part- *BLUSH* But… Sakura… You're supposed to act like a helpless victim…

Sakura: -blinks- rereads part… -twitch twitch- turns to SasuLovesSaku4Ever

SasuLovesSaku4Ever: -backs away smiling innocently- Um…. Heheheh!

Sakura: CHANGE IT! –rawrs and chases SasuLovesSaku4Ever around—

SasuLovesSaku4Ever: SAVE ME! ITACHI! SHISUI! SASUKE!

Itachi: Hn… -turns away-

SasuLovesSaku4Ever: ITACHI! DAMN IT! I THOUGHT YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE AN AWESOME HERO! I DIDN'T MAKE YOU KILL YOUR CLAN OR BEST FRIEND! YOU MEANIE! -cries while running-

Shisui: Sorry. I'd rather not deal with Sakura-chan's temper. –mutters to himself– but she's also pretty cute when she's angry

SasuLovesSaku4Ever: ….WHY AM I NOT SURPRISED?

Itachi: -throws weapons at Shisui- who yelps and starts dodging for his life

Sasuke: You deserve it. Sakura's not helpless.

SasuLovesSaku4Ever: UWAAHHH! YOU GUYS ARE ALL SOOOO MEAN! -crying while running away-

Sakura: GET BACK HERE!

An hour later…

Shisui: Oh. You guys are all still reading this? Really?

Itachi: Hn… Well… Thank you for reading the story… 

Sasuke: Em… Review… Please. -turns to Sakura who is still chasing the author who is about to get killed- Sakura, don't kill her. We still need her to finish the story…

SasuLovesSaku4Ever: Yeah! If you kill me, you two won't get together!

Sakura: …WHAT? I'll kill you even more if we don't get together! RAWR!

Sasuke: -facepalm-

SasuLovesSaku4Ever: I'll change it! I'll change it! Fine! Just don't kill me!

Sakura: TOO LATE!

SasuLovesSaku4Ever: WAHHH! I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE!

P.S. Wow. That was a long end note… Psh… LOL… MORE LIKE END SIDE STORY… -facepalm-

* * *

**So… Please review if you want it updated faster!**

**V**

**V**

**V**


	7. Chapter 6: To Turn Enemies into Allies

Ok! Here's your next chapter! 

As usual, responses to reviews!

**Narubleach-lover**: Hm… You're right about the body… I really do have no clue though… but the last two manga chapters are really convincing me that it's Obito… I don't know. I REALLY HAVE NO IDEA WHY HE WOULD DO SUCH A THING! I'm angry. Why does the Uchiha clan have to be a clan of idiots? Well, anyways, please keep reviewing! 

**animelover171**: hahah! Ok. Ok. I'll try update sooner. Thanks! I'm glad you've reviewed! Please continue to review!

**Jasmine-.-Momo-chan**: LOL. Yes. I was very bored… It was just a sudden thought to write out, cuz I really really wanted to put in a scene with me in it. A random urge. Yep. Sasuke's gonna be totally oblivious, and yet he will know jealousy for sure. Hehe. I plan on putting him through some jealousy. Angry and jealous Sasuke is very cute to me. I have no idea why. Keep reviewing! You're awesome!

**SasukeXSakuraLov**: Haha. Well, you predicted some of it. Remember that the mission is to protect the bridge builder. Sakura is aiming to keep everyone safe from 's trying to save Haku and Zabuza. To keep everyone alive… Oh sheesh. If I go any futher, I'll spoil the chapter. JUST READ IT. LOL. I can't say any more than that! Review more! Thanks!

**Sakura'sGhettoInner**: Ok. Here's your update! Yay for the review!

**LoverForAnime**: Yes. Ok. I updated! Thanks for the review!

**Kisa Black**: Aww! When you come back, I hope you can review more! Haha. The preview was weird. Yeah. I was like… WTF… Sasuke's back in the village, and Hinata's aggressive… Ok… -blank face- and then 3 seconds later (WTF face) "WHAT THE HELL?" I looked into it more and found out it was a genjutsu by Tobi. I'm glad you had a dream about my story! LOL. That's soo random? Have you ever had a dream where you were actually a person inside of the Naruto world? I had. IT WAS AMAZING. Seriously. I kicked Kabuto's and Orochimaru's asses in the chunnin exams because they were both pissing me off, and they freaked out and ran away. IT WAS SOOO FUNNY. I laughed like… evilly… and then all the ninja were staring at me. Then I woke up and I was like… 'That was funny and weird at the same time.' LOL…

** 'time.i**: Huh? Didn't you read the summary? I put it up in the summary now. LOL. But seems like you're into the story! I hope you keep reviewing! Thanks!

**emosaku**: I liked it too. That's why I decided on it. Haha! I'm obsessed with my own story. Lol.

**candybluesful**: Thanks! Oh. Frankly, I have no idea what to do about Ino's personality. She doesn't have the rivalry with Sakura anymore… and in Shippuden, the only time she showed up was in Asuma's death… She hasn't shown up in a while, but I'll put her in a later chapter. No worries about that.

**1Animefreakgurl**: Haha. Awww. You guessed part of it. Well, this is a kinda crossover-ish story. It would be better if you knew the actual bleach characters, but it's not actually needed to know them. I will involve some bleach characters a bit later, but the stories won't be mixed.

**Otakugal**: Hahah. Yeah I know! I'm angry and sad that he's doing all of this… I know. Same. I'm just wondering what happened to the kages, since they're pretty much screwed over by Madara.

**Nuria****Sato**: Haha. Yes. I updated. Oh LOL. I just take a while to think of a good way to write it out. Sometimes I update faster, cuz I have the motivation and time, but sometimes I'm just not in the mood to write, so I don't. It ends up like bad writing if I'm not in the mood. Shisui and Itachi's relationship is kinda like… Naruto's and Sasuke's in a way, if the two boys actually tried to get to know each other a bit more. Oh yeah, haha. I love mythical creatures. Dragons and Phoenixes are my favourite. I don't know why. I just love them. Haha. You'll find out sooner or later, the name of that dragon. OMG. That was the best idea ever, about Itachi and Akane. I need to put that in my plans before I forget LOL. Yes, the Uchiha clan wasn't exactly power hungry. It was just Madara in the beginning. Then after the Kyuubi attack, they realized they were being pushed down because it was kind of a lot. I think that was mostly the elders fault. They pissed me off. A LOT. Haha. You are totally awesome with the long long reviews. As for the thing about the balloon popping in my face, that was just a random thought I had after I read your review. LOL. It didn't hurt, no.

**Guest**: You're the ONLY guest, who reviewed for that chapter. I'm a bit sad, but I CAN REVIEW PERSONALLY TO YOU, since you're the only guest who reviewed. THANK YOU! Please continue to review!

**XxUchihaCherryBlossomxX:** LOL. YES. I LOVE THE SWORD TOO! AND I ALSO LOVE THE WEILDER OF THAT SWORD! Now shush. Don't wreck it for everyone. LOL.

WOW. I finished. Anyways. Here's your next chapter!

P.S. Warning: This chapter may be boring to half of you. I typed it, and I was like… "why do I feel like this chapter is so boring when I was so excited for it?" And also, there's a lot of POV switching. I WANTED to write it in Sakura's pov, but I had to switch... I don't know why, but I just had to.

* * *

Legend:

"_Thought"  
_"Speech"_  
__"Spirit/God/Goddess/Any spiritual-like being"__  
__** "Sakura's inner"  
**__**"Demon/Tailed Beast"**__**  
**_**"Emphasis"  
Singing **_**(Translation)**_

– Point of View P.O.V. – (Place)  
Chapter Number: Chapter Title

* * *

_**A Light and Shadow in the Past**_

Chapter Six – To Turn Enemies into Allies…

– Sakura's POV – (On the Road to the Land of Waves)

We caught up with Kurenai's team at the edge of the sea along with Tazuna. I sensed the chakra within the mist and realized, that by this time, Zabuza had already figured out we had been here in my past life. "Hey, Hinata." I greeted. Hinata smiled in greeting to me and

"Kakashi. I'm glad they sent you." Kurenai said, looking relieved.

"Hm. Did you get into some trouble before this?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes. Two chunnin ninja. The Demon brothers." Kurenai said.

"Hm… So your enemies were mist nin… They'll probably send higher level ninja to attack so we'll have to be careful." Kakashi said. Naruto looked excited as ever.

"Your back-up is another bunch of kids? And who's the short one with the idiotic look on his face?" Tazuna asked staring at Naruto.

"I'm Namikaze Naruto! Don't you forget it old man! I'm going to become Hokage one day!" Naruto yelled.

"Keep it down. Let's cross over to the Land of Waves the faster we get there, the closer we get to finishing this mission." Kurenai said. Tazuna nodded and called a boat driver to bring us across the river. The same boat driver brought us across the sea towards the village at the edge of the land.

We saw the bridge coming up through the fog. "Whoa! It's huge!" Naruto exclaimed rather loudly.

"Huh? Quiet!" the boat rower immediately hissed. "I told you _no noise_! Why do you think we're traveling like this, huh?" He turned his head to the side, looking for any people that might come out and attack.

"Cutting off the engine and rowing... moving through the dense fog… so _they_ don't see us!" Naruto covered his mouth, now looking rather nervous... heck, everyone did… well… everyone but me.

"Mr. Tazuna," Kakashi's lazy eye moved to look at the client. "Before we reach shore, I want to ask you something." Tazuna lowered his head. I knew what was coming next. "The men who are after you... I need to know who they are and why. If you don't tell us, I'm afraid that I'll have to end this mission when we drop you ashore." Kakashi said.

There was a tense pause before Tazuna began, "I have no choice but to tell you... no... I _want_ you to know the truth." Tazuna said. He sighed. "Like you said... this _is_ beyond the scope of the regular mission. The one who seeks my life is a very short man... with a very long and _deadly_ shadow..." Tazuna said.

"Hm... Who is it?" Kakashi asked.

"I'm sure you've heard of him. His name is Gatou." Tazuna said.

"Huh? What? Gatou? Of Gatou transport?" Kurenai asked in surprise and shock. Tazuna nodded.

"He's one of the wealthiest men in the world, in public, he might be a famous business leader, but under the picture, he's a gang leader who sells drugs and uses ninja to take over countries... It was one year ago when Gatou first set his sight on the Land of Waves… He came to our islands and used his vast wealth to take total control of our transport and shipping. Anyone who tried to stand in his way simply... **disappeared**." Tazuna said darkly.

Tazuna continued, "In an island nation, he who controls the sea, controls **everything**: finance, government... our very lives... But there's one thing he fears," Tazuna growled, glaring hatefully at the floor of the boat. We all listened carefully.

"The Bridge… When it is complete, it will connect us to the land and break his control…" Now he looked up at the bridge. "**I** am the bridge builder." Tazuna said.

"So that's why he wants to attack you, right? Since you're the bridge builder and all, you're standing in his way of taking complete control." Kiba said.

"So this means that the guys we fought in the forest... they were working for Gatou," Shino said. Kurenai nodded in agreement. Naruto's index finger went to scratch his head.

"I don't understand," Kakashi nudged. "If you **knew** that he dangerous... that he'd send ninja to eliminate you... **why** did you hide that from us?"

"The Land of Waves is a small nation in poverty. Even our nobles have very little money. The commoners who are building this bridge... We can't pay for an 'A' or 'B' ranked mission- it's too expensive! If you end this mission when you drop me ashore... there will be no bridge. They'll assassinate me before I reach home." His voice became more relaxed and carefree.

"But don't feel bad about that! Of course, my sweet little grandson would be upset." His voice got higher and whinier. "He'll cry, 'Granddad! I want my granddad!'." Tazuna said. I sweat dropped… so he was going for the guilt trip after all. "Oh, and my daughter would condemn the ninja of the hidden leaves, denouncing and blaming you for abandoning her father and living her life in sorrow."

Everyone but Tazuna and I along with the rower were giving guilty moans. Shino didn't seem to respond, but from his posture, I could tell he was feeling slightly guilty as well. I sweat dropped. "Oh well... it's not your fault. Forget it!" Tazuna said in the act of giving up.

"Well... I guess we have no other choice," Kakashi shrugged, sighing. "We'll have to keep guarding you."

"Ohh! I'm very grateful," Tazuna then smiled happily to himself.

I sweat dropped, smiling to myself, a little awkwardly.

"We're approaching the shore…" The rower looked around warily. "Tazuna, we've been very fortunate; No one has noticed us so far."

"Nice going." Tazuna replied approvingly. We sailed through the fog into a dark tunnel with a row of dim yellow lights in a line right on the middle of the ceiling. Once we made it through the tunnel and into the village, I could hear Naruto sigh in awe at the beautiful village. Hinata gasped in amazement at the view. Sasuke looked mesmerized.

It was hard to think that this village was in poverty because of its beautiful, neat houses.

"This is as far as I will go…" The rower said as he dropped us off on a wooden dock.

"Thank you for taking such a risk." Tazuna smiled and waved to the boat man. He left with a, "Just be careful!" as a farewell and sailed away with the motor on. Facing his bodyguards, in other words, we ninja, Tazuna ordered us, "Ok, take me to my home, and I mean: Get me there in one piece."

"Right…" Kakashi nodded hesitantly and started walking looking around, keeping on guard. Kurenai stood behind our group, keeping a lookout from behind. The others walked around Tazuna, slightly relaxed, but tense at the same time. I was just walking between Naruto and Sasuke in front of Tazuna, and behind Kakashi, who was leading the way. This time, Naruto wasn't as tense, but this was also because it was his first time. He hadn't faced the demon brothers. I wondered how it would affect him this time…

Just then, a bush shook. Everyone stiffened. I blinked and walked up to the bush. "Sakura-chan, be careful!" Naruto said worriedly. I merely pushed the leaves away and pulled out the rabbit lifting it up, before raising an eyebrow. They all sighed in relief. I sweat dropped.

"You were all getting worked up over a rabbit." I said smirking. "That's pretty funny." I said laughing lightly. The rabbit sniffed at me. I set it down and smiled running my hands through its soft fur. Haku's rabbit was so cute… and the fur was so soft. He had really taken good care of it… I knew Kakashi had realized it wasn't any normal rabbit.

Zabuza's sword came flying out of the trees at us. "Look out!" Kakashi called out. We all reacted on instinct and threw ourselves onto the ground. The rabbit quickly jumped away back into the bushes.

"Zabuza: the rogue ninja from the village hidden in the mist," Kakashi muttered turning to Zabuza. "I'll need this..." His hand lifted to grab the half of his headband covering his right eye. "Kakashi of the sharingan eye," Zabuza identified. "Did I get that right?" Sasuke looked confused at Kakashi. I guess the younger generation didn't know about the Sharingan eye Kakashi had. "It's too bad, but you're going to have to hand over the old man." Zabuza said.

Kurenai walked up beside him and Kakashi nodded. "You gennin get into formation. Protect the bridge builder and stay **out **of this battle. Let's see you put your skills to use." Kakashi said to us. I followed orders quickly. The others stood still, slow to react to orders at the sudden change in situation.

The tension rose as Kakashi's hand pulled his hitai ate further up, and then it exploded when he opened his eye to reveal the blood red iris with three black commas spinning inside. Zabuza stood up from his perch. "Well... it looks like I get to see the sharingan in action... it's an honor."

"Everyone keeps saying, 'Sharingan, sharingan'! Could someone _please_ tell me what it is?" Naruto whined. My mouth opened automatically and I spoke the words.

"The Sharingan is a rare power that resides in the eyes. The user of this visual jutsu, or doujutsu, can instantly see and comprehend any taijutsu, genjutsu, and ninjutsu, and reflect the attack back on the attacker. Sharingan is a special and rare form of doujutsu only found in the Uchiha clan… unless transplanted into another ninja…

It can also be used to analyze an opponent's technique and copy it to the smallest detail as well... but there's much more to it. Not even the Uchiha clan has discovered all of its secrets yet. It's a kekei genkai bloodline limit. There's not only the Uchiha clan bloodline limit of course. There's also the Hyuuga kekei genkai, the Byakugan. Regardless, I could talk about this all day, but we're in battle right now." I said.

"Hn…" Sasuke grunted. I had pretty much said more than what he knew about the Sharingan. I knew he assumed Itachi or Shisui had told me. Hinata smiled slightly at her own clan kekei genkai's mention. She had told me a bit about it and how the Sharigan was likely to have come from it. Kurenai seemed surprised at the amount of knowledge I had on the kekei genkai abilities.

"Right on the mark, little girl." Zabuza said smirking behind the bandages of his face. Right as he stopped speaking, a thick mist lowered over the field. "As for you, Kakashi, in the assassination unit of the hidden mist, we had a standing order to destroy you on sight. Your profile is in our bingo book- it calls you: 'The man who copied over a thousand jutsu: Kakashi, the copy ninja'. But enough talking… I need to exterminate the old man."

"**Now****.**"

The five of the other gennin surrounded Tazuna's sides, while I stayed in the front, on guard, with my hand on my blade ready to draw it out. The others had pulled out their weapons, tense with anticipation and fear. "So, I'll have to eliminate you first eh Kakashi? So be it." Zabuza said.

"He's over there! Standing on the water!" Naruto said shocked. The mist was deepening.

"Kirigakure no jutsu! (Hidden Mist Jutsu!)" Now he had completely disappeared with the mist; not a trace left behind.

"He vanished!" Naruto mumbled in awe.

"He'll come after **me** first..." Kakashi reassured them. Kurenai assisted Kakashi with her genjutsu but Haku quickly appeared to assist Zabuza, with his mask on. I wasn't surprised. Kurenai had her hands full trying to assist Kakashi and she couldn't come to defend us.

Haku was extremely fast with his kekei genkai. I hadn't awakened the eye, but I had awakened the ability to control water. Haku rushed at us and I blocked the senbon that came at Tazuna with my own kunai and we clashed.

"Sakura!" Kakashi called out in worry, noticing I had engaged in battle with Haku.

"There's nothing you can do! Finish your battle!" I yelled out as I blocked Haku's attacks. Haku wasn't using his full speed, nor did he intend to kill me. That, I was grateful for.

"I don't wish you fight you. Get out of our way." Haku said.

"All I wanted was peace and happiness for the world. That won't happen with Gato around. And I won't let you hurt my friends." I growled. Haku seemed sad.

"Our ideals are alike, and yet we serve opposite sides… It is sad for me to say, but you won't survive fighting against me." Haku said.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto called out worriedly, his voice shaky.

"Keep defending the bridge builder." I said, knowing he wasn't ready to fight just yet. I clashed with Haku and kicked him out to the lake. The jounnin seemed surprised to see me. I could feel the icy power flowing through my veins, and pulsing through my body.

"Use your power Haku, or you're going to get beaten." Zabuza said. Haku got up and looked at me. I could feel his sadness, in being ordered to kill someone innocent as I looked. He controlled the water and forced them to turn to floating shards. They flew at me. I threw kunai to deflect them but soon he had millions of them floating around. They sped at me in an instant.

Kurenai tried to jump in to save me, but Zabuza blocked her way and used the mist cover to block their view of me. I knew all three ninja, Zabuza, Kurenai, and Kakashi, had been using much of their chakra to fight…

Kakashi was trying to figure out where Zabuza was, through the chakra created mist. My eyes widened and I knew I had to reveal my power. I held my hand forward and forced the ice shards to turn into water. Kakashi and Kurenai were trying to find Zabuza, who had them in the mist, while I was at the edge of the mist, just able to see Haku and Zabuza, and they were just able to see me.

Haku looked shocked. Zabuza seemed even more shocked. "You have… the same… power…" Haku said. He looked at Zabuza who seemed to nod. I was confused slightly. My eyes widened when I noticed Haku had made a water clone that was going towards the others. They hadn't noticed. I panicked and spun around, opening my mouth to yell out towards them, but I felt a tap at the back of my neck and cursed in my mind. THE SAME DAMN TRICK SASUKE PULLED. I was annoyed. I heard Haku murmur.

"Don't worry. We won't hurt your friends… for now…"

Then everything faded to black.

* * *

– Normal POV – (Land of Waves)

Haku caught Sakura's unconscious body and held her gently, dispelling his clone. He knew she would have reacted that way. Zabuza unveiled the mist. "You want to take the girl?" Zabuza asked.

"I need to know some things… Please, Zabuza." Haku asked. Zabuza grunted.

"I'm getting annoyed by all these illusions made by the kunoichi. It doesn't seem like any of those kids would be much of a challenge yet anyways. They probably still won't be the next time we attack them." Zabuza muttered before nodding to Haku's request. Haku was relieved.

Zabuza let the mist dissipate while making hand signs for his jutsu and Kakashi's eyes widened at the unconscious body of Sakura in the enemies arms. "Heh. We'll be taking her for now, Kakashi." Zabuza said smirking, before activating his jutsu. "Daibakufu no Jutsu (Grand Waterfall Technique)" Zabuza called out as his column of water erupted and forced the other two jounnin to flee back, while Haku teleported them away from the battlefield, using the water to wash away their scents.

Kakashi cursed in anger at letting one of his students be caught by enemy ninja. He wasn't sure she would be the same after they got her back… if they managed to get her back alive. Kurenai looked worried. The other gennin had seen what had happened and were all reacting differently to the situation.

Hinata had broken into tears of worry for her first friend. Naruto was angry at himself for being afraid and being helpless to protect his teammate. Sasuke hid his worry and covered it up by keeping quiet and glaring at the ground like it was the ground's fault Sakura had been captured. Kiba tried to keep everyone's spirits up. Tazuna brought them back to the village and they met his family, but they were all tense, worried, and angry at the loss of Sakura.

Kakashi told them they needed to prepare and they all trained on their chakra control, once Kakashi managed to make them come to their senses about chakra control.

* * *

– Normal POV – (Land of Waves – Gato's hideout)

Zabuza forced himself to walk back to the hideout where Gato was with Haku. Haku brought Sakura into his own room to keep an eye on her until she woke up while Zabuza was scolded by an angry Gato. Zabuza easily threatened Gato and Gato gave him another chance, angrily.

Of course, when Sakura woke up, she found herself extremely exhausted and hungry. She had been restrained and her bag and weapons were in the corner of the room. Haku was at her side, seeing that was had finally come to.

"You're awake." Haku said behind his mask. He took off his mask and smiled at Sakura. Sakura acted surprised.

"Why… am I here? Where am I?" Sakura asked tiredly and half conscious.

"I wanted to ask you a few things, but have some food first. You're in Gato's hideout." Haku said helping her up and holding out a bowl of soup. Sakura looked up at Haku and knew that he wouldn't have poisoned the soup if he wanted to kill her. He would have done it when she was unconscious. She ate and replenished her energy. It hadn't been part of her plan to be kidnapped by Haku and Zabuza… but in a way, it could work in her favor. She could learn more about the power of the kekei genkai to see what Haku knew about its abilities. She could even figure out a way to save Haku and Zabuza…

However, she had to make sure she didn't reveal she already knew about them and their wish.

* * *

– Sakura's POV – (Land of Waves – Gato's Hideout)

I sat on the bed and ate, and I was surprised when Haku told me he wanted to ask me something. I knew it wasn't about my team… and they weren't interrogating me for information on my team… He didn't want to force the information out of me. No… It was something else. I could sense Zabuza was concealing himself in the corner of the room, listening to us talk.

"Your name is Sakura right?" Haku asked. I nodded.

"Yes." I said.

"Well. I should tell you my name. I am Haku." He said.

"Why are you treating me… like a friend?" I asked.

"Well, I didn't bring you here to ask about your friend's abilities or anything. I doubt a gennin like you would know anything much about their abilities yet. We aren't aiming to become enemies of the Village hidden in the Leaves either. I just wanted to know, how you were able to control that ice and turn it back to water…?" Haku asked.

"Well… Tou-san told me once that he was part of a clan, the Yuki clan. He said their kekei genkai ability was to manipulate water and turn it into ice using wind and water chakra. I figured out a way to turn ice back into water." I said.

"Do you know what happened to that clan?" Haku asked.

"The clan was attacked and many of the clan members split up a little before the Third Shinobi World War. My father hid and acted as a civilian. He didn't know much about how to control the power, but only had a few of the treasures from the clan head." I said.

"I see. No wonder… It's because we are both of the same clan. I was surprised to see another person using the same style and abilities. Your movements seem to have the same style." He said.

"Oh… I don't know. I had this weird feeling about your chakra… It was like… our chakras were similar." I said. It was true. I could sense that his chakra was a lot like mine. Haku didn't look surprised.

"Yes. I guess so. I had the same feeling but I thought I was just imagining it. Now I find it's true…" Haku said with a soft smile. I looked down at my lap.

"Are you worried for your friends?" Haku asked. I looked up. He looked at me softly. "They're fine." Haku said.

"Why are you fighting for Gato?" I asked.

"Why do you ask that?" Haku asked, surprised.

"Well… you seem like such a good person…" I said. Haku looked at me before looking to the corner of the room seeming to be asking for permission from Zabuza. Zabuza came out of the corner and stared at me with a blank and cold glare. I held my eye contact with him and he smirked.

"Go ahead. Seems like she's different from those other kids… If you want to teach her to fight, go ahead, but I'm not involved with it. You can go ahead and untie her. She's smart enough to know she won't beat the both of us alone." Zabuza said. Haku looked surprised and happy. I was surprised. Why did he suddenly decide on letting Haku tell me? I knew it was something more than that…

Haku told me the truth of Zabuza's aims, and why Haku was helping him. He untied my hands and I asked if I could train with him to learn more. I hadn't awakened the kekei genkai, but I had a feeling if I learned with Haku, it would help.

* * *

– Normal POV – (Land of Waves – Village)

Kakashi watched Naruto and Sasuke rush up the tree furiously. They were both extremely tense… and they wouldn't stop training… Naruto had asked Hinata for advice since she had mastered the tree climbing technique in one go. Sasuke was still ahead of Naruto by a few meters… yet both of them never even gave each other a glance.

The capture of their teammate was the only thing driving them.

After they had quieted down about rescuing Sakura, they barely spoke. Naruto and Sasuke, who should have been always arguing, with Sasuke insulting Naruto, and Naruto trying to make some good comebacks, were quiet… The tension in the air was always thick with those two. Inari had angered Sasuke when saying that they would all die. Sasuke, who was usually calm, lost his temper and had nearly taken it out on Inari until Kakashi had stepped in.

Kakashi could tell that Sasuke and Sakura had more than just a rivalry and friendship as well… Sasuke was more than worried for Sakura. He genuinely cared for her. Kakashi knew that Sasuke wanted to protect Sakura… like Obito wanted to protect Rin.

Kakashi's fist clenched. Zabuza had a skilled ally, while Zabuza had erased their scent with the water, his ally had made sure they disappeared without any evidence left. Kakashi would have gone after them, but he couldn't risk getting Sakura killed at that moment. They had her hostage. He remembered how Obito had gone after Rin… and how he had also changed his own mind to go after Rin.

He swore he wouldn't let another Teammate of his die, after his own sensei had nearly sacrificed his life to seal the nine tailed fox within his own son… It had been a miracle. Somehow, both Minato-sensei and Kushina-san had survived the sealing of the Kyuubi. No one had known what had really happened.

Kakashi wouldn't let Sakura die… He knew they had kept her alive. Why else would they merely knock her out? But he had no idea why they would keep her alive. He hoped she wasn't being tortured. Even death would be better than being tortured for information… but he wouldn't be able to forgive himself if Sakura died.

Sasuke would be silent and glare at almost everything. He was always brooding... He was serious, and didn't seem to allow himself to show anything other than rage, hatred, and anger. Naruto was acting calm, but everyone in the house knew Naruto was holding back his anger. Naruto had far more potential but he had to learn to control his chakra. If he ever learned to completely tame all of the chakra within his small body, he would be the most powerful ninja within the Shinobi world…

It was only a matter of time before Sasuke and Naruto mastered the tree climbing exercise. Kakashi had a feeling Sakura's chakra control was more advanced than Sasuke's and Naruto's. He'd had a suspicion since Iruka had written in her profile that she was always able to master any new jutsu in less than five tries. She was able to master new D and E-rank jutsu even faster than Sasuke or any of the other students in the academy…

Kakashi knew his students would be one of the strongest teams in the Leaf Village.

Sakura would survive… and hopefully, she wouldn't be too affected by it.

* * *

– Normal POV – (Land of Waves)

A week passed by. Both sides did their own training. While Sakura trained with Haku, she learned a great deal more about how to use her own power in battle and Haku also trained her to activate her body. She was much faster than her speed in the past. She was fast, in the past, because she had to learn how to dodge as a medic, but she hadn't been trained in the specific focus area of speed.

Haku was more skilled in speed and using his weapons to fight, but Sakura had more power and control over the kekei genkai. Haku had trouble trying to turn ice back into water, but he was learning.

* * *

Near the end of the week, Sakura had confronted Zabuza on her own about why he allowed Haku to train with her. Zabuza didn't tell her at first, but in the end he told her the truth.

Most kids her age would have flinched at his cold and calm glare along with the killer intent in his eye, after hearing about who he had been as the Demon of the Hidden Mist, but she had held that contact. He had seen strength and intelligence in her eyes. He could see truth in her eyes and he saw that she wanted to help. "For some strange reason, I saw you wanted to help… I don't know why. Maybe it's because you and Haku were from the same clan. Whatever, just don't get in my way." Was what he had said.

* * *

Meanwhile, Team 8 had finished their tree climbing training, but Naruto and Sasuke had yet to reach the top of their trees. Both boys continuously came back late for meals and trained into the night. When they reached the top, they merely came back on time, and Kakashi knew they had finished. They had both kept quiet the whole time.

Naruto had met Haku when Haku had been collecting herbs to make some medicine for his wounds and Sakura's wounds from their training. Haku had asked why Sakura hadn't tried to escape of course, and she had told him, that the bonds of a family were stronger than friends. She couldn't betray someone from the remains of her clan. Especially since they could be the last of their clan for all they knew.

Haku had told her about Naruto, and said that Naruto wanted to save her and prove his abilities to his friends. Sakura had been grateful to Haku for telling her that.

Tazuna had asked why they had continued to help after they found out the truth of the mission. Kakashi spoke of the words of the first Hokage. "Those who stray from the path of justice have no courage, but under the wing of a strong leader, cowardice cannot survive."

The words fueled Sasuke's and Naruto's strength. They would save their teammate. Kakashi seemed to notice the fire in their eyes and saw their determination, and smiled under his mask. He believed in them. His students were growing before his eyes.

Inari had asked the same words all over, and told them it was useless. Sasuke had grown angry and unleashed his temper through his own words on the poor boy, but Kakashi managed to calm Sasuke down before he said too much or got violent.

* * *

– Sakura's POV – (Land of Waves)

The day finally came when Haku and Zabuza were to fight against Team 7 and 8. I was given back all my belongings and we were walking towards the sea area when I spoke. "You'll probably need to fight me a little bit." I said.

"Why?" Haku asked.

"This is supposed to look like a kidnapping. My sensei and friends don't actually know about my true powers. I'm sort of hiding my power so I can surprise them." I said.

"Hm. That would be a better idea. I don't want them getting an idea I'm too soft." Zabuza growled. I sweat dropped. Haku chuckled.

"Very well then. How far shall we go?" Haku asked, putting on his mask.

"Just till I'm barely conscious will do. I'll be fine, since I'm able to heal myself. Just don't do too much damage..." I said.

"Right then… This will serve as a little warm up. Don't just let yourself get hit but at least try and get some on us too." Zabuza grunted. I nodded and we battled. I allowed them to hit me of course, but I fought pretty well too. I coughed out blood and fell to the ground, a few of my ribs broken and fractured, and a few cuts from Zabuza, along with a few senbon sticking out of front and sides.

Haku picked me up and I winced. He seemed a little worried. "I'll… be fine…" I said.

"I wish I didn't have to hurt you." Haku murmured. I smiled lightly.

"Arigatou, Haku." I said with a smile. Haku seemed happy and we walked to the bridge. Haku held me in his arms and I closed my eyes leaning my head against him, concentrating on keeping the ribs in the right places and healing them a little.

Zabuza took care of the workers, and I heard Tazuna and the others appear, Naruto excluded. Zabuza and Haku before them with the unconscious builders behind us…

"Sakura!" I heard Sasuke call out. I kept my eyes closed and didn't respond.

"Stupid girl tried to escape." Zabuza grunted.

"We have no use for her anymore." Haku said walking up with me and setting me down on the ground, before them. I felt Sasuke walk up to me and shake me lightly.

"Sakura!" He called out. He pulled out the senbon and I winced in pain when he recklessly pulled them out. "Sakura, wake up!" He said. I barely opened my eyes.

"S-sasu…ke…" I murmured breathing quietly. He looked like he was about to cry. "B-be… care…ful…" I said before coughing a little bit of left over blood out. He gritted his teeth in anger and charged at Haku. Haku fought him, and I watched in worry. Naruto popped up later on, after saving Inari and his mother.

Kurenai stayed back to keep an eye on me and her students after performing some first aid on my wounds, knowing that Kakashi would do better in fighting without a distraction. She would have probably worked better with Asuma, since they had a close bond and were together much of the time.

I saw Sasuke about to get hit to protect Naruto and cursed when he moved the wrong way. At this rate, he would really die.

I pushed myself up and Hinata gasped seeing me move. I could feel myself moving but almost everything seemed to have frozen. Everything but Haku and I were moving slowly. I ran between Sasuke and the senbon and closed my eyes. Haku stared at me. I could tell he was happy but worried as well. I smiled lightly in reassurance to him. Sasuke gasped.

"Sakura…?" Sasuke asked.

"I-idiot… I told you… to… be careful… didn't I…?" I gasped out.

"I didn't ask you to help me! I could have protected Naruto on my own!" Sasuke said. I smiled.

"We're… teammates… We're supposed to…. Help each other…" I muttered before falling back and wincing in pain. Damn it… I was going to go unconscious… I healed most of the more severe injuries… but these senbon hurt. Sasuke caught me and slowed my fall. I could feel myself falling unconscious. Sasuke had fear in his eyes. I noticed Haku come towards me.

"I'm… ok…" I murmured. Sasuke gripped my hand tightly and nodded. "I'm… going to… sleep now… Sasuke…" I murmured. Sasuke gritted his teeth. Haku seemed to understand and nodded. Sasuke shook his head. I looked up at him and smiled before closing my eyes.

* * *

– Normal POV – (Land of Waves – Bridge Battle)

Sasuke's eyes widened when Sakura closed her eyes and he set her down gently. Fiery chakra burned through his veins and he shut his eyes. He opened his eyes and he could see Haku's chakra clearly. He got up and attacked Haku. Haku was shocked when Sasuke read Haku's attack of a group of senbon so easily and dodged the attack. Sasuke attacked, but Haku merely hid back in his mirrors once again. Haku attacked Sasuke and Sasuke attacked back managing to get his weapon to close to Haku, but Haku would always deflect. Haku managed to wound Sasuke multiple times and dodge Sasuke's attacks. Haku had much more experience in fighting, so he still had the upper hand. The fight continued for a while.

Naruto opened his eyes to see Sakura unconscious and wounded, unmoving. His eyes widened at Sasuke who was wounded and panting. His eyes widened, in realization. Just then something dark pulsed within him and he growled getting up. Naruto growled and attacked Haku with his Kyuubi chakra unleashed. His eyes red with slits…

The power of the Kyuubi was unleashed just as Sasuke's chakra depletion caught up with him as he went unconscious.

Naruto fought off Haku, but Haku's mask broke apart from one of Naruto's punches. Naruto was shocked and confused at why Haku had hurt his teammates. The Kyuubi's power was washed out of his system for the time being. Haku explained he was Zabuza's tool, and Zabuza would use him as he wished.

However, just then, as Kakashi had been ready to summon his dogs, Gato's men showed up.

"Heh! Have you finished the job yet, Zabuza? If yes, then that's just one thing less to take care of. I'm done with you and the kid! I'll kill you and I won't have to worry about paying you!" Gato called out. Zabuza lowered his mist.

"Hm… Why don't we make a truce for now, Zabuza, I'd like to get rid of this man first." Kakashi said turning to Gato.

"Heh. I don't care. I want him to die as well…" Zabuza said with a smirk.

"Hey! Let us join in on the fun! These guys aren't even your level!" Kiba said. Shino nodded and walked up beside Kiba. Hinata stayed with Tazuna. Haku also appeared by Zabuza's side. Naruto to the side with Sasuke in his arms, and Kurenai carried Sakura to the side as well. Kakashi looked worriedly at Sakura. All the men by Gato's side backed up slightly seeing all the ninja ready to kill.

"How's my team?" Kakashi asked.

"Sakura jumped in… She's wounded quite badly. I think some of her ribs were broken as well. Sasuke is unconscious with some wounds, but he's unconscious because his chakra is exhausted. It seems he didn't recover from training…" Kurenai said.

"Let's take care of these guys first." Zabuza growled.

They rushed at the enemy and Gato yelled at his men to attack. His men charged, but they were easily beaten.

Gato ran to the end of the bridge in fear. After the others had cut down almost all of the enemy men, Zabuza cut at Gato with his blade giving him a deep wound before kicking him off the edge of the bridge. "Don't double cross the Demon of the Hidden Mist." He growled as Gato fell off the edge.

Naruto had gone to his teammates sides while the others scared off the remainder of Gato's men, but also there were the villagers, gathered by Inari to fight as well. Naruto had done his thing, showing Inari the attitude of not giving up. Most of them had just gone to the edge of the bridge and jumped away onto a ship to flee. Sasuke was barely conscious.

"Sasuke!" Naruto said in relief.

"S-sakura… is she…?" Sasuke asked worriedly.

"She's ok. Rest. Your chakra is almost completely depleted. You didn't fully recover from training..." Kurenai said. Sasuke looked relieved and closed his eyes, breathing easier. Naruto looked relieved, but still worried.

* * *

– Normal POV – (Land of Waves – Tazuna's house)

Naruto had been sitting by the futons where his unconscious teammates were currently lying. He had yelled angrily at Haku and Zabuza before Kakashi managed to calm him down, allowing him to notice that Hinata almost looked afraid. He went quiet and sat down beside his teammates, while Team 8 sat nearby. Kakashi was staring at Haku and Zabuza.

"What did you do to her? Why did you take her?" Kakashi asked.

"We wanted some information on you, but it seems it was useless in trying to get any information from her, seeing as how your team was newly formed. She only told us that before we stopped questioning her. Haku is quite… soft… and he doesn't like hurting innocence children, so he merely used a genjutsu on her. Surprisingly, her chakra control was better than what we expected and she broke out. She nearly escaped and I knocked her around a bit, before Haku interfered and knocked her out. She knew she was being over confident… but still, I liked the spirit in that girl, so I let her live." Zabuza said emotionlessly.

"Hm. I see." Kakashi said nodding in understanding. A few seconds later, he had a sudden thought when he looked at Haku. "So what do you plan to do after this?"

"Hm… I guess we could hang around this place and do some jobs here and there. If the mist nin come, we'll leave for a while and come back again when things have quieted down." Zabuza said.

Haku looked surprised and happy at the same time.

There was a groan from Sasuke who opened his eyes. Naruto was staring at him closely to see if he was awake and Sasuke growled and punched him in the face.

"OW!" Naruto groaned holding his face. "What the heck was that for?"

"You're way to close to me, usuratonkachi (moron). Sorry, I don't swing that way." Sasuke said. Zabuza smirked and Haku chuckled. Kakashi chuckled lightly. Kiba snorted. Shino was silent. Hinata blushed slightly. Tsunami was giggling. Tazuna and Inari were laughing. Naruto was totally confused for a minute before he **FINALLY** worked it out in his head. Sasuke was smirking.

"EWW! TEME! THAT'S SICK!" Naruto yelled.

"Well, you were the one who was too close to me." Sasuke said.

"Uggh… Can anyone get some sleep around here?" A familiar voice spoke that made the boys spin around quickly to check if they were just imagining things. Sakura was glaring playfully from her futon.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled relieved and shocked.

"Hey." Sakura murmured.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto said in shock

"You already said that… baka (idiot)." Sakura said. Sasuke smirked lightly in relief.

"HEY! WHAT'S WITH ALL THE NAME CALLING?!" Naruto whined. Everyone laughed. Inari was grinning and laughing the loudest at his new idiotic friend.

"Because you are a baka. Now, let these two rest... They've been out for half the day but they need to recover. My wounds aren't too bad and we've managed to patch up most of your wounds along with Zabuza's. We have a bridge to help build." Kakashi said. Naruto pouted. Tazuna laughed.

"Thanks! We might have a party for the bridge, so maybe you can all hang around." Tazuna said.

"Yes! Please do!" Tsunami said. Inari nodded and grinned. They all left the room.

Sasuke and Sakura lay alone in the room…

* * *

– Sakura's POV – (Land of Waves – Tazuna's house)

I lay on my futon when I heard Sasuke moving. I opened my eyes to see him move closer to me. I blinked when he hugged me. His head over my chest, over my heart. "Sasuke…?" I asked surprised.

"Just… let me rest… here… for a while…" Sasuke murmured. I looked at him. He seemed relieved and at peace. I sighed and smiled lightly.

"I'm ok." I said, putting bandaged hand in his hair and petted his head. He closed his eyes and breathed in relief.

"I know… I… I was just… afraid…" He murmured. I looked at him and wanted to make a little fun of him, saying he was an idiot for admitting he was afraid and tease him, but when I saw his face, I knew he was truly serious… and he had been truly afraid… I knew he was afraid of losing me… I knew the feeling of losing your closest friends…

I'd comfort him for now… because I understood what they had gone through when I had disappeared… I knew Haku and Zabuza had probably lied about what happened. I scanned myself with my own chakra from within and felt that my ribs were all healing in place. I winced slightly when Sasuke increased pressure in his hug.

He realized after a while that I was still in pain listening to my breathing. "Oh. I should get off right? You're still hurt! I've been hurting you. I'm sorry… Well… I think I can move easy now. I should go help out." He said about to push himself up. I grabbed his hand. He looked at me.

"I'm ok. It's just a little sore. Can you stay a while?" I asked quietly. He looked surprised before he nodded, seeming happy…

* * *

– Sasuke's POV – (Land of Waves – Tazuna's house)

I watched as Sakura fell asleep again. She seemed at peace when she was sleeping. Some of her hair slid over her eyes. I smiled lightly moved it out of the way and tucked it behind her ear. I realized one thing when she had been kidnapped.

She was someone I wanted to protect…

* * *

– Normal POV – (Land of Waves – Tazuna's house)

Hinata fed Sakura dinner after Sakura woke up. The bridge was near completion because of the help from the ninja. The party was planned to be the next night, and the ninja would be leaving the morning after. Sasuke's wounds had healed just enough for him to help out at the bridge, while Sakura stayed at the house resting. Her healing chakra did most of the work for her as she rested. That night, she was able to get up with Hinata's help, and enjoy the party.

The next morning, they left, and said their goodbyes. Inari and Naruto had become great friends, and now they were crying.

Sakura sighed. "You two are so pathetic sometimes." She muttered with a soft smile from Kurenai's back. She would be hospitalized as soon as they got back to see if anything else was wrong internally. She had her old outfit on once again, with her sword strapped to her back while Kakashi carried her bag. Sasuke sweat dropped and acted disgusted, but it was a pretty touching moment for everyone. Kiba snickered. Hinata was smiling lightly. Shino was quiet and Kakashi was busy reading his porn.

As they headed back, Kakashi seemed to remember something.

"Oh yes. I remember what we decided and I wanted to tell you." Kakashi said. Sakura blinked up at her sensei. Kurenai smiled.

"It goes for both teams." Kurenai said. Kiba, Shino, and Hinata looked up.

"We've decided you're all ready to participate in the coming chunnin exams." Kakashi said. Everyone stared at Kakashi and Kurenai in shock. Well… Except for Naruto. His was a look of total confusion and fright.

"Exams?! NOOO! I don't want to write an exam!" Naruto yelled in horror. Everyone laughed.

"It's not a written exam, moron. It's an exam that will be taken to pass you to become a chunnin." Sasuke said smirking.

"Oh… AND HEY! I'M NOT A MORON!" Naruto yelled.

"Your intelligence and worry about an exam that every gennin knows about proves to us that you really are a moron, Naruto-san." Shino said. Naruto twitched in annoyance at Shino's way of talking. Sasuke smirked. Sakura giggled.

"This is good news… but shouldn't we get going…? We need to get back to let Sakura get checked up on right?" Hinata asked. Sasuke nodded, turning serious.

"I feel fine though." Sakura said. She had done her healing, but she was still feeling sore, mostly because her body was not used to the pain, unlike the past. Though her mind was unaffected, her muscles had become sore and her body was slightly exhausted.

"You're still wounded. I know you're still sore, Sakura." Kakashi said. Sakura sighed. There was nothing she could hide from Kakashi. "Alright. Let's head home." Kakashi said. The group of ninja hurried across the bridge. Sasuke moving as fast as he could to keep up with the two jounnin in front and keeping an eye on Sakura…

As soon as they got back, Sasuke and Hinata brought Sakura to the hospital, while Naruto went to meet his parents, to let them know he was alright. Kiba and Shino left to go home. Kurenai and Kakashi both went to report about the drawn out mission.

* * *

– Normal POV – (Konoha – Konoha Hospital)

The doctors checked up on Sakura's wounds and asked about what happened. Sasuke explained about the mission, and so the doctors told her to rest for the next two days or so, asking her to stay in the hospital. They didn't want to take any chances and were checking if anything was possibly wrong with her. Sakura sighed as she was put in a bed and she was to be cooped up in the hospital for 2 more days. Of course, she hated being in the hospital, as a patient since she was the medic.

She knew she was fine, but those doctors just had to keep her there for 2 more days. She sighed, knowing it was partly her fault for getting captured, but it had been worth it.

* * *

Coming up next… Chapter Seven: To Meet the Darkness …

Ok. I made it completely different from what I had planned… and I updated pretty late… I'm kinda depressed these days… My parents are really annoying lately. Well, more my DAD. HE'S A CONTROL-FREAK. I swear. HE FREAKING CONTROLS MY LIFE! GOD. I WANNA MOVE OUT. Seriously. I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! My dad gets PISSED OFF at EVERYTHING. LIKE. WTF. SERIOUSLY. I get good grades, do house chores, help out, don't do anything bad, and he gets pissed off because I say "I don't know?" WTF? I swear I almost thought he wanted to slap me.

Well, I'm happy I ranted. LOL. One paragraph, but seriously. SOME PARENTS NEED TO STOP TRYING TO CONTROL THEIR KIDS LIVES. LIKE WTF. IT'S A FREE COUNTRY. AND I'M A FREAKING KID. WHAT'S WRONG WITH NOT KNOWING THINGS?!

Well. As for the next chapter, I have decided to post it on August 18th. Hope that's ok with you all. I'm kinda stressing cuz of my parents. Thanks for reading this chapter.

PLEASE READ AND **REVIEW**!

It would only take less than 5 minutes to write a review. Something more than update please, would be great. Some emotion please? And personalize your review? I know it's kinda hard for some people but try. It would be a good motivation for me. Thanks!

To those of you who have been waiting for me to update, hoping that I would update early, I'm sorry. I planned to update early but I was kinda depressed for a while after my dad got pissed off, and then I got pissed off at him, but I have to hold it in. SO… Thanks for all your support!

No end story this time. Just kinda depressed.


	8. Chapter 7: To Meet the Darkness

YAY! Next chapter! 

Yes. Congratulations to those of you who figured out what the blade was. No, it's not the same. I will explain it in the story. This chapter is longer than the others, just under 25 pages on word… so I had to go past my due date. I apologize to those of you who were waiting for me to update. 

BTW. Review on the lattest chapter if you actually want me to reply to it.

FIRST, responses to MY AWESOME REVIEWERS!

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**1Animefreakgurl: **LOL. I love Haku and Zabuza too. I know I kinda left Team 8 out of it. Not only because it would probably get complicated with them too involved in the mission, but I hate, HATE, typing out battle scenes. They are amazingly hard to type. My battle scenes are usually a paragraph long.  
\(O_O)/ -(That is a face with two hands in the air… yes. I freak out when I have to type battle scenes)

**SasukeXSakuraLov: **Really? You liked the chapter? Thanks? LOL. I was so happy when I read your review! I liked the idea too about the visit at the hospital. And you did make me think about my dad, but seriously, it's not normal. Read more at the bottom for the scenario that I'm complaining about my dad. He is getting more pissed off than usual and he complains about the slightest thing. Seriously. I wanna move out… BAD. But I'm stuck at home till I'm old enough to move out. Not only that, I'll have to find a place to live, then I have to SURVIVE… with barely enough money to live off. LIFE SUCKS.

SORRY FOR UPDATING 2 DAYS LATE. YOUR GIFT IS THE LONGEST CHAPTER SO FAR! 25 PAGES ON WORD!

**Sakura'sGhettoInner:** Yup yup! They are technically family. I always liked Haku's kekei genkai too.

**Uchiha Innocent Blossom: **LOL. Haha. Your gift is this chapter. LOL. Oro-guy… bites… -ARGH! GRRR! I wanna spoil the chapter in this review SOOOOO BAD. But… YOU MUST READ to find out! XD LOL.

**XxLizzie-chanxX: **Thanks! Hahah. LUCKY… I HAVE TO WAIT 5 MORE FREAKIN YEARS BEFORE I MOVE OUT!

Thanks about Sasusaku relationship. Hehe. OMG. I WAS FREAKIN BUSY. I'm volunteering and working through the summer, so I was busy and was so tired I couldn't write when I got home. I was planning on writing every day after coming home, but I fell two days behind! –crying—

**aoa1012:** Thanks! Please continue to review! It means a lot!

**candybluesful:** Yeah… hehe. I like overprotective but not tooo overprotective. AND I also like dramatic moments where the guy freaks out and gets pissed when the "fragile" female gets hurt by someone or something. OHH. My dad used to do that too, comparing me to other kids and he would compare my little brother to me. I thought it was really really stupid, cuz he would call me stupid compared to other kids, and then he'd call my brother, stupid, compared to me and his friends. My lil' bro got pissed and complained about him comparing us to people he didn't even know. My dad didn't do it again after that.

**Jasmine-.-Momo-chan: **Really? It was cute? Thanks! Hahah. SO SORRY THAT I'M LATE! –sobsob- Oh. I had a plan for Haku from the very start. He will appear later on. Don't worry. XD He'll pop up later on once again. Sasuke will be jealous. Yup.  
OMG. SAME. I'm sooo happy that someone knows how I feel too! My dad has his good moments, but he's bipolar. The next second, he's swearing at me and being all scary. I'm a little scared all the time now… It hurts a lot when he like… insults me and all. You know, calling me stupid, idiot, or like, insulting my intelligence. My mom's not usually home because she's working at the hospital…

**shimizu27:** Here's your next chapter! Please keep reviewing! It means a lot!

**Nuria Sato: **OMG. I read your review, and I'm thinking… I NEED TO MAKE A RESPONSE THAT'S JUST AS LONG! O_O''' LOL. Anyways… I JUST LOVE READING YOUR REVIEWS! SORRY FOR BEING LATE! I WAS SOOOO BUSY! AND TIRED! I know those excuses don't make up for being late… -sad face- please forgive? Lol. The only way I can rant, is to people on fanfiction. I don't like going on facebook and complaining to friends and I don't exactly like ranting to myself either. I just wanna talk to someone. Social workers and counsellors don't work either, because I think they have stupid goody two shoe non-sense "talks". THEY DON'T KNOW MY LIFE. Then all these problems would probably come up just because I talk with them. I find it kinda stupid, so I have never made contact with them IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. Thank-you for letting me rant to you. Sorry if you have to go through the trouble of reading all this ranting of mine.  
As for the story… heheh, I don't really understand the theory of "dark" on fanfiction, but you could say this chapter is kinda "dark" in a way. Yes. I love the nickname you gave Oro-pedo-chi-snakey-maru. It's FREAKIN AWESOME! I need to use it in one of my next chapters! XD I hate him too! I tend to swear quite often as well now… I think I got it from my dad… -sigh-  
Staying happy and thinking positive don't really work when I'm angry… It works better when I'm sad or depressed. I just lose all sight of things that are good and get pissed off at myself and the person or thing for making me angry. YAY. I MANAGED TO MAKE A LONG RESPONSE! LOL.

**Kisa Black:** I'm soo happy you're reviewing… sad for you that you're missing your family. ARGHHH! I WANNA FIND A JAPANESE VERSION OF THE FULL MOVIE! I DON'T CARE! I NEEED TO SEEE IT! I saw a spoiler scene on youtube with translations and it was sooo freaking emotional. It's insane like… ballistic hinata and playboy sasuke. I swear, I NEED TO SEE IT! AND IT'S NOT COMING OUT TILL APRIL 2013! DX

Ok. Enough of my ranting in the responses… LOL.

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Legend:

"_Thought"  
_"Speech"_  
__"Spirit/God/Goddess/Any spiritual-like being"__  
__** "Sakura's inner"  
**__**"Demon/Tailed Beast"**__**  
**_**"Emphasis"**

– Point of View P.O.V. – (Place)  
Chapter Number: Chapter Title

AND NOW! CHAPTER 7 begins!

-SasuLovesSaku4Ever

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_**A Light and Shadow in the Past**_

Chapter Seven – To Meet the Darkness…

– Sakura's POV – (Konoha – Konoha Hospital)

So the next day, I woke up to find many get well gifts on the bedside table. Many gifts were from Mikoto. She really loved spoiling me. Most of them were candies and chocolates. I smiled lightly. I had a few from my cousins. Naruto had given the ramen. I knew even when it wasn't labeled. Who else would give such an unhealthy get well gift? Kakashi had gotten me a simple get well card.

Sasuke had put few flowers in a vase with a card. A single pink peony flower and many white gladiolus… Peony signified healing… and Gladiolus flowers signified strength of character. I smiled. I knew he had picked them himself. They were a good combination.

I was surprised to find a few gifts from Fugaku. He had given me a couple of books and scrolls to read on medical ninjutsu. I smiled, knowing I would finally be able to use medical ninjutsu in public with an excuse that was real. Even Shisui had given me a scroll on swordsmanship and a book on different types of blades.

I didn't find one from Itachi though.

I was surprised when he actually entered the room himself around noon. I'd thought he was too busy to get a gift. I blinked. "Itachi?" I asked. He smirked.

"So, you're awake. I see you've been looking through the gifts." He said.

"Yeah. Tell thanks to your dad and mom, along with Shisui." I said.

"What about Sasuke?" Itachi asked.

"I'll tell him thanks when he comes. I know he's probably going to come with Naruto and Kakashi-sensei to visit me anyways. Your parents are probably busy, and Shisui-san is probably busy with a mission, but I'm surprised you aren't." I said.

"Aa. I just came to deliver my gift to you before I left for a meeting." Itachi said. I smiled when he handed me a cold box. I opened it and my eyes widened in delight.

"How'd you know I love anmitsu!?" I asked in surprised. Itachi smirked and said nothing, seeming to be going off into his own thoughts. I blinked and grinned wryly. "Ohhh! I see. Akane-nee told you!" I accused.

He blinked and I noticed a **TINY **blush appear on his cheeks. I grinned.

"Soo, how were you two while me and Sasuke were gone on our mission?" I asked raising my eyebrows.

"Hn…" He grunted, looking a little embarrassed. I smiled.

"It's ok. You don't need to tell me. Sasuke's job is to bother you, if he ever finds out. My job, is to bother Akane about it though." I said grinning. Itachi disappeared, out the window. I laughed lightly and grinned before I dug into the sweet cold treat he had given me.

* * *

– Itachi's POV – (Konoha)

I knew Akane and I were closer than just friends. It seemed Sakura already knew. I was betting on the other two cousins knowing about our tight bond as well… When she had been on the island, I had tried to keep myself detached, but seeing how she loved Sakura, as much as I loved Sasuke, I could tell we had a lot in common. She was detached at first, but after a while, she got to know me and became a less quiet person. It seemed being in Konoha also gave her a reason to speak much more.

I didn't know how, but after she had come to Konoha, I felt much more of an attraction to her. She had changed after coming to Konoha. She talked more, but she was also more active. I had seen her going out for runs in the park around noon.

When Sakura had gotten hurt, and I had heard of it from Sasuke, I found out no one had told Sakura's cousins, so I went over to go and let them know of Sakura's condition. Akane had been worried and she had been extremely thankful to me for letting them know. We had all visited Sakura, but she had been unconscious from the drugs they had put her on. Her bones had moved slighty out of place while healing so they had to re-break them and fix them. Luckily, not too much damage had been done.

We all had agreed on visiting her the next morning, but I had wanted to see her awake. I had gotten a feeling she would wake up by noon and asked what Sakura liked to eat. Akane had told me Sakura enjoyed Anko dumplings, umeboshi, and anmitsu, exactly like herself. I knew a great shop where the anmitsu they sold was favourable in taste, so I had decided to get Sakura some, asking if maybe we could go to the shop together some time. Akane accepted.

I could feel my mouth twitching. Strange. I shook my head and focused on getting to the Anbu squad meeting in the Hokage's office. We had a mission from the Hokage. Something to do about the coming chunnin exams, and a rumored enemy attack…

* * *

– Sakura's POV – (Konoha – Konoha Hospital)

As I predicted, Team 7 did come to visit me after their training. I thanked Sasuke for the flowers, Naruto for the ramen, and Kakashi for the get well card. Sasuke decided to stay behind a bit longer.

"Will you be ok?" He asked.

"Yeah. The doctors said I just have to rest for a bit, but I'll be ready for our next mission in two days!" I said with a smile. Sasuke seemed relieved.

"Oh and by the way, when you get home, tell Itachi thanks for the gift. It was the best." I said smiling happily, not noticing Sasuke's eyes widen with sadness.

"O-oh… Ok. I'll head home now then…" Sasuke said quietly glancing at the flowers beside me. I noticed this. He looked… almost… sad. Wait.

"Sasuke…?" I asked.

"Hm…?" Sasuke hummed.

"Wait… Are you… depressed, cockatoo head?" I asked in amusement, using my old teasing nickname for him. Sasuke flushed in embarrassment and looked away avoiding eye contact.

"N-no! I'm not!" Sasuke protested. I grinned and giggled. Oh my god. I had to tease him. He was sad that Itachi had a better present than his? This was way too funny.

"You know I was just talking about the Anmitsu your brother gave me to eat right? It was the best anmitsu I've tasted!" I said. It was true. I hadn't tasted anmitsu like that before. It had an icy and sweet flavour that was at the perfect amount of sweetness I could take. Sasuke flushed tomato red in embarrassment.

"W-well! I'm going home now!" Sasuke said, completely embarrassed, not wanting to get teased any longer. I smiled lightly and decided to rest feeling my stamina was still recovering.

"Ja-ne Sasuke-kun." I said as I laid back. Sasuke seemed to calm down.

"Ja-ne, Sakura." Sasuke said, before closing the door. I closed my eyes and slept comfortably under the blankets of the hospital.

The next morning, I heard voices in the room and tried to ignore the noise, irritated at how I was being awakened. On a mission, I would be fully alert, before someone moved 10 meters away from me, but I knew I was in the village, so I had let myself sleep through all the noise, continuing to dream of a place where the ninja world had become completely peaceful, and everyone was happy.

"Is Sakura-chan alright? Can she get out yet?" That was Naruto and his loud voice…

"Shhh. Quiet Naruto. This is a hospital. There are other patients here!" His mother's reprimanding voice growled. Naruto shut up and I could tell he was probably covering his mouth.

"Usuratonkachi… (Moron…)" Sasuke and his habit of calling Naruto a moron…

"Shut up Teme (Bastard) dattebayo!" Naruto yelled. I could see my dream fading away and soon, it disappeared. I kept my eyes closed.

"I'm just glad she wasn't badly hurt." Akane. My cousins were here too.

"Good. Her physical appearance seems to be fine… We could hold the next concert soon." Fugaku said. I was pretty happy about that. I enjoyed making music for everyone to listen to. Fugaku always seemed to be the down to business type of person, but I could tell he was worried for my well-being since he had actually taken the time to come and visit.

"I hope she wakes up soon and hope there's nothing wrong." Mikoto said. She seemed sad.

"Are you sure she's in a good condition to go though, Kakashi?" Naruto's father, the Fourth Hokage... also known as the Golden Flash, Kakashi's old jounnin sensei.

"Hai, Sensei. I think she'll pull through." Kakashi said.

I sighed and covered my head with the blanket.

"Sakura. You're awake." Itachi stated. It wasn't a question.

"Who can sleep with all of you chattering in my room…?" I whined under the blanket. I could hear giggles coming from Kushina, Naruto's mother, Mikoto, Sasuke's mother, along with Akane, Asami, and Miyuki, my cousins. Minato, Kakashi, Itachi, and Fugaku were all chuckling.

"Sakura-chan! Get up so we can start training!" Naruto started shaking me under the blanket. I could hear Itachi chuckling along with Fugaku and Minato. The females in the room were laughing lightly.

"5 more minutes…" I groaned.

"Now now, Sakura. You want to start training for the chunnin exams, don't you?" Kakashi said.

My eyes snapped open.

HOW HAD I ALMOST FORGETTEN!

The chunnin exams… They had changed everything… I had stopped the massacre. Would Orochimaru appear? Would he attack? No. Wait. I knew he would attack. The chunnin exams were the only point in time where the villages let their guard down to hold the chunnin exams together.

I groaned and sat up, glaring at Kakashi who was smiling innocently.

"Why did you sign us up for the chunnin exams… anyways?" I asked.

"Well, you guys have been asking for something more challenging right? So I signed you up. I think you're ready, to have survived a surprise "A" rank mission at the land of the waves." Kakashi said.

I sighed and got up. Everyone stared at me. I raised an eye brow.

"Are you going to sit and stare while I change or let me change in my own privacy?" I asked. The men quickly scurried out like rats while the women helped me grab my things before leaving the room. I changed into my own clothes, leaving the bandages on to take off later tonight. I noticed my blade inside the closet leaning on the side and grabbed it, feeling the icy power flow through me.

It almost seemed to relieve me.

I didn't know why… but it had just become a part of me, after being with it for so long.

The nurse came in and checked me before discharging me and allowing me to leave. I walked out of the room, slipping the sheathed blade over my head, behind me and clipping the holder of the sheath in front of me. "So, are we going training now?" I asked Kakashi, who eyed me for a short while, seeming worried, before he nodded. Sasuke smiled and Naruto grinned.

We went out to the fields and sparred. The boys went easier on me, seeing as I had just gotten out of the hospital. After training, we all went our separate ways. I wanted to train a little more, seeing as how I hadn't been exercising the past 2 days, sleeping in the hospital. Naruto and Sasuke walked away having a little argument about who knows what.

I sensed Gaara's chakra flickering past and I remembered Team 7 had met up with Kankuro and Temari. I sensed Konohamaru's distressed chakra and sweat dropped, pushing a small amount of chakra into my feet, giving me more speed.

I appeared on the tree and grabbed a rock from the ground on the way. I saw Kankuro about to punch Konohamaru and I sighed throwing the rock with a flick of my wrist. He needed to seriously tone down that attitude of his… He had changed because Gaara had changed though. Kankuro yelped in pain as he dropped Konohamaru.

"Hey, I wouldn't do something like that to the Third Hokage's grandson. You're picking on a friend of the Fourth Hokage's son. I don't think you'd want to get into trouble, Sand shinobi. Besides, you're in a foreign village which isn't your home either." I said.

"Uggh. Another brat that I have to beat up." Kankuro growled.

"Wanna try it? I'm telling you it won't be much of a fight from your side." I said, knowing I could easily beat him at his current state with the amount of power he had right now. Kankuro growled at me.

"How come you're not cool like that!" Konohamaru whined to Naruto.

"Aw, come on! I could have taken that guy out two seconds flat!" Naruto said with his grin.

"You're the kind of pesky little snot I hate the most. Just a little girl with an attitude. What kind of ninja has pink hair?" Kankurou asked, while pulling his pullet off of his back.

"You're going to use the crow for this!?" Temari looked shocked.

"Kankurou, back off." Gaara's voice said. I wasn't surprised that he had spoken that that moment. Everyone but Gaara and I seemed shocked.

"Huh? Uhhhh… Hey Gaara!" Kankurou said awkwardly. Sasuke looked surprised and shocked and narrowed his eyes at Gaara. Gaara eyed me for a few seconds. I wasn't surprised.

"You're an embarrassment to our village. Have you forgotten the reason we came all the way here?" Gaara asked.

"I-I know. I mean… they challenged us! They started the whole thing really. See, here's what happened-" Kankurou was cut off by Gaara interrupting him with an irritated look on his face.

"Shut up… or I'll kill you." Gaara said, narrowing his eyes.

"Uhh… right… I was… totally out of line. I'm sorry Gaara… I was totally out of line." Kankurou said. I sweat dropped. He had turned way… freaked out when Gaara showed up.

Gaara turned to face me. "I'm sorry… for any trouble he caused." Gaara said. I nodded in acknowledgement, not trusting myself to keep the respect out of my voice, since he had been the Kazekage in my past, but I wasn't supposed to know him right now. "Let's go. We didn't come here to play games." Gaara said to his brother and sister. I got up from the branch I was on.

"Wait. What are you sand village ninja doing in our village anyways? You're not supposed to be here without permission, so what is your permit?" Sasuke asked.

"We're here for the chunnin exams. We have permission." Temari said, pulling out her slip of applications for the chunnin exams."

"Oh. Well, we're going to be there too! Believe it!" Naruto said with his idiotic grin.

"Hmph." Gaara grunted and turned away. I decided to take Sasuke's place in asking Gaara's name, since it didn't look like he was about to ask. I jumped down to the ground. "Sakura-chan! Are you ok? I mean, you just got out of the hospital!" Naruto said worriedly.

"I'm fine." I said. I turned to the Sand siblings who were walking away and called out to Gaara.

"Hey, you, with the gourd! Identify yourself." I said. Temari and Kankuro both looked back at me in surprise. Gaara turned around to look at me with slight curiousity in his eyes.

"My name is Gaara, of the Desert. I'm curious about you too. Who are you?" Gaara asked.

"Haruno Sakura. Pleased to meet you." I said with a smile. Gaara nodded. Temari and Kankurou seemed to look at me weirdly before jumping away with Gaara. I sighed and turned to Naruto and Sasuke.

"Well, you guys got yourself into some trouble while I wasn't looking I see." I said.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan…" Naruto murmured, embarrassed.

"Well. Anyways, I'll head home. You two should do the same." I said.

"Right." Sasuke said.

I sensed the sound ninja in the tree but also, a somewhat… familiar presence. It wasn't Orochimaru or Kabuto… something was familiar about it… but I couldn't figure it out.

The answer was just lurking at the back of my mind, but I couldn't pull it out… Who was it? I turned around to look, but the sound ninja were gone. Wherever the presence was… It was gone now… along with the sound ninja. I narrowed my eyes, and decided that I'd figure it out during the chunnin exams.

* * *

The next day, Kakashi gave us the slips to sign up for the chunnin exams. I was reading a scroll about blade techniques in the field when I noticed Iruka's henge. Iruka threw a few kunai at me that stabbed into the grass. I blinked up at him. "I hear that the Leaf Ninja are supposed to be strong. Let's see just how strong you are…" He said, charging at me.

I narrowed my eyes and unsheathed my blade in an instant, clashing with his kunai. He swiped at me with his umbrella and I blocked it with my blade, catching him off guard as I tripped him and kicked him into a tree. He grunted in pain. "What are you doing, Iruka-sensei?" I asked.

"H-huh? What are you talking about!?" He asked.

"Don't hide it. I can tell by your chakra you're definitely Iruka-sensei." I said. Iruka sighed and let his true form appear.

"How'd you know?" He asked.

"I've been around for way too long to not memorize the feel of your chakra. When I kicked you I could tell it was you." I said.

"hehe! Alright. You caught me. I'm testing you rookie gennin. I still have my doubts, but I wish you luck during the exams." Iruka said. I looked at him.

"You don't have to worry, Iruka-sensei. We may be still kids, but we're stronger now. I'm sure if one of us is in trouble, our teammates will help us out… and friends are always there for each other." I said.

"Ah. Right. Good luck then, Sakura. Will you be performing any time soon? I do enjoy your family's music." Iruka said.

"Hehe. Maybe when I'm not so busy with training for these exams." I said smiling.

"Alright then. I'll see you another time then." Iruka said. I nodded and he disappeared. I sat back down and finished reading the scroll, and I decided to try out a few techniques. I remembered Shisui wielded his own sword… so maybe I could ask him for advice… Hm… I could also bring Akane over as well…

I decided to do it the next day. Kakashi had said there was no training or meeting for the rest of the week, so we were free to do as we liked.

I walked home and I noticed Karin with her teammates, walking through the village. They looked a little lost. I remembered Karin had told me that Sasuke had saved her in the chunnin exams, and that was how she had remembered him and fallen in love with him. She had already been under Orochimaru's influence by that time though.

I went back home, and that night, the same dragon appeared in my dreams, once again.

* * *

I woke up and decided to go over to Sasuke's place around noon, after training myself in the morning, keeping up with my speed and strength, as well as my skills in Taijutsu and building up my stamina. I showed up at the Uchiha compound at around 1:00 in the afternoon and sensed that Shisui and Itachi were hanging around along with Fugaku, Mikoto and Sasuke and another presence within the house.

I was greeted by Mikoto. "Sakura? What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Um. Well, I wanted to come by and ask Shisui a few tips on using swords. His gift was useful, but I want to learn from someone with experience. Is he here?" I asked.

"Yes of course! Come on in! We have another guest that would probably also like to meet you." Mikoto said with a smile. I nodded curiously and went inside, taking off my shoes and following Mikoto to the kitchen. The door opened and a small white cat with icy blue eyes ran towards me and rubbed itself against my feet, purring. I smiled lightly and petted it lightly before motioning for it to run back to its friends. It ran under the table, away from the other cats, and I blinked in slight confusion.

"Sakura?" Sasuke asked.

"Oh. Hey Sasuke." I greeted.

"Sakura, take a seat." Mikoto said. I nodded. Mikoto offered some tea and I thanked her. I looked curiously at the old lady who was surrounded by cats. I remembered her from one of the missions that Sasuke had said was specifically for himself… to get Nekomata's paw print. Granny Cat.

"So what brings you here, Sakura?" Shisui asked.

"Oh about that. I wanted to ask you a few tips on using my blade." I said.

"Hm… I got it. Why don't I arrange lessons with you?" Shisui asked.

"Really?" I asked in surprise.

"Sure. I've got nothing else to do. Besides, spending time with Saku-chan is pretty fun!" Shisui said grinning. Itachi threw a kunai at Shisui, who dodged the weapon, as usual, as it flew out the door. I sweat dropped.

"Itachi! You almost killed me!" Shisui whined. Itachi said nothing and merely smirked. Mikoto laughed lightly and Granny Cat was laughing as well. Fugaku and Sasuke were both smirking. I was snickering inside but I merely smiled.

"Um… So, I hope I wasn't intruding on anything important." I said.

"No. Nothing really. Granny Cat merely heard the news of Sasuke and his team being entered into the chunnin exams and would like to meet all of you and watch the chunnin exams. She runs the supplies store for the Uchiha Clan." Itachi said.

"It's an honor to meet you." I greeted.

"It's great to meet a fine young lady like you and I'm glad that you're Sasuke-chan's teammate." Granny Cat said with a smile.

"Thanks." I said gratefully. The same white cat came crawling into my lap and I blinked at it. Granny Cat looked a little surprised.

"It seems that little Yuki's taken a liking to you, Sakura. She doesn't usually like getting close to anyone." Granny Cat said.

"Really?" I asked.

"Hai. Her parents are dead, and I found her barely alive in a rain storm under a bush as a new born kitten, so I took her in. Somehow, she can always tell when danger is coming and hide… She's a great companion, but it seems she doesn't usually take a liking to people in general… I've been taking care of her, but it's quite hard since she refuses to allow me or anyone to get close. Would you like to keep her? She's already been trained and can take care of herself." Granny Cat asked.

"Sure. I guess. I can take care of her." I said with a light smile.

"Thank-you. I'll give you some cat food supply that should last a few days. You should be able to get some cat food for her by then." Granny Cat said.

"Yes." I nodded. Yuki meowed happily in agreement as if she understood what we had been saying. I smiled and ruffled her fur on her head and she purred happily closing her hand.

"Oh! Sakura, why don't you bring over Akane, Asami and Miyuki over for dinner? We've also invited Naruto's family along with your sensei. I'm sure Naruto knows, but I'm not so sure about Kakashi-san." Mikoto said. I blinked. I had a feeling he'd show up. My plan had automatically been set by Mikoto. I grinned wryly. Itachi's face looked a little tense, like he was trying to hide his smile.

"Hm. I have a feeling he'll show up… but he'll probably be a few hours late and of course, I'll bring them over for dinner." I said.

"He's always late." Sasuke grumbled. I laughed lightly.

"Well, what do you expect? Typical Kakashi-sensei!" I said smiling. Sasuke smirked lightly in agreement.

* * *

Shisui and I decided to have our lessons in the late evenings around 8:00 till 11:00 at the training rooms. Of course, he told me this in private. I was surprised when he had offered to sign me in.

Only jounnin level ninja or higher could enter the rooms. With gennin or chunnin, they had to have supervision from someone of jounnin rank or higher, or recommendation for training in the training rooms alone. Shisui told me he would put in a recommendation and supervise when he could. I was surprised and shocked he would do something like that.

He had told me the other time that he hadn't been able to spar with another blade user in a while, and training me to pass on his skill was perfectly fine with him. He was also fast and knew that Fugaku had given me the books on medical ninjutsu, and offered to train me in speed as well, to evade attacks. I had been extremely thankful to him.

Yuki had fallen asleep during our talks and my petting had calmed her, allowing her to sleep. She woke when I moved slightly. I picked her up and held her so that she was looking the back of my shoulder, with my other hand holding the cat food and supplies. I left, thanking Granny Cat for the cat food and supplies. I was surprised when I found out my cousins all had an obsession with cats… well, specifically Yuki. Yuki seemed to enjoy the attention, but when it was enough she would run to my room and lay on the window sill.

* * *

That evening, I brought Akane, Asami and Miyuki over for dinner. Yuki had clung to me so I decided to bring her along. I couldn't refuse the sad look on her face with her ears flattened down on her head. Dinner was great, though Kakashi-sensei came about an hour late and Kushina had gotten a little scary in her angry mood that scared Kakashi.

Itachi spent his time with Akane after dinner, taking a walk in the ornamental gardens. I was quietly watching from the wooden pathway outside of the house, and smiling lightly at the two secretly. Sasuke and I got to talk to each other alone for a few minutes, before Naruto interrupted the conversation. Kakashi came into the scene as well.

Yuki seemed to dislike Naruto a lot and scratched at him when he got near. I sweat dropped. Did cats just not like foxes in general? I had a strange suspicion it just had to do with the Kyuubi, somehow.

The next day, I went out for training in the morning and my cousins took care of Yuki. In the evening, I met up with Shisui at the training rooms and I continued to improve my blade wielding skills. We spared on the last night before the chunnin exams, and we were both surprised when my blade almost seemed to glow, sending the icy wave through my body.

Shisui had been staring at the ground around me for a bit, when I realized under the moonlight shining through the chakra infused glass over the training room, the ground had become completely frosted over. The grass growing within the room was turned to ice. "What the heck?" Shisui asked.

"Um… Ok… What happened…?" I asked completely confused.

"You tell me…" Shisui said staring weirdly at my blade.

"I dunno… I just felt this icy feeling in my body…" I said.

"Can I take a look at your sword?" He asked. I nodded and took the blade and stared at it with his Sharingan.

"Hm… Take the blade again." Shisui said. I took the blade. He looked quite interested.

"This is interesting. It seems almost as if the blade is like an outlet for your own power. When I take hold of it, it looks like a normal blade… but when you hold it, it looks like it's an extension of your own chakra. I had to study it really carefully though. Not too many people would see it unless they looked at it really really closely with a Sharingan." Shisui said.

"What?" I asked in shock. So… the sword was a part of me?

"You should continue to train with the blade. You might be able to awaken that power. I think it might be your own kekei genkai… Your clan is a civilian clan, so it might be a distant relative of yours that passed this kekei genkai ability down to you. I would keep it to myself if I were you. Of course, I'll keep it a secret between the two of us. It's your ability to reveal." Shisui said with a grin.

"This is crazy, Shisui-sempai." I said. Shisui grinned. I had gotten used to calling him that, since he had told me Sensei was too formal and made him sound old.

"You're in shock right? Me too. I guess I'm better at hiding it though." Shisui said.

"Heh. You're always too playful so it's easy for you to hide. Well, I guess I'll see you another time. Good luck on your mission. Try not to get yourself killed by Itachi. I need a sempai to guide me through my training." I said grinning lightly. He had told me that he had a mission with Itachi to guard and watch the interior of the village, seeing as the foreign ninja, possibly sent to spy or kill someone, were here for the chunnin exams.

"You got it kiddo." Shisui said ruffling my hair and chuckling. I smiled and we walked out. He walked me back home, telling me about many of his Anbu adventures with Itachi, most likely leaving out the idiotic moments where Itachi tried to kill him.

* * *

I stood outside of the Academy, waiting for Naruto and Sasuke. They finally showed up. "Hey Sakura-chan!" Naruto greeted. Sasuke greeted me with a small wave.

"Morning to you two. Let's get going shall we?" I asked. We went up the stairs and stopped on the 2nd floor where the commotion was like before.

I looked up at the sign and raised an eyebrow. Room 301? Wow... I looked at the two in front of the door and twitched. Izumo and Kotetsu. Wow. They had been testing us last time. I found that the genjutsu was much stronger than last time's genjutsu. Lee was being beat up like last time. Tenten caught him.

"Che. You're taking the chunnin exams but you can't even get past us?" Kotetsu asked.

"Why don't you just give up now before you get hurt?" Izumo said smirking.

"Yeah. I think I hear your mommy calling ya." Kotetsu said grinning.

"Please let us through we're supposed to go in there…" Tenten said walking up to them. She was punched back in the face.

"Ow…! That's harsh…!" A few kids murmured.

"Did you say harsh? Don't kid yourself; we're being nice by comparison. The exams are gonna make this look like a picnic." Kotetsu said.

"Some of you won't survive the exams, others will be wrecked for life and some of you may go crazy. For chunnin it's always life and death." Izumo said smirking.

"You think it's a joke, chunnin are qualified to lead lives of your squads members are in your hands, so you better be tough enough to take the heat. Delicate little girls... don't belong here." Kotetsu sneered.

"We're just pinning out the herd, you won't be able to pass anyways so go home and play with your dolls." Izumo said.

"Real nice speech. Now both of you step aside and let us through. While you're at it, release the genjutu would you? We can see through the illusion. We're supposed to be going to the third floor." I said with a bored expression on my face. Sasuke seemed to know as well. Naruto was completely clueless as usual.

"What does she mean? We're on the third floor…" "I know…" "What's going on?" The crowd behind us murmured. Neji's team was watching me with interest.

"Well well." Kotetsu said.

"So, you noticed the genjutsu huh little girl." Izumo said.

"Yes I did. This is only the second floor. Now step aside before I do something about it." I said with venom dripping off every word.

"Heh. Well aren't we the smart ones. So you noticed an illusion. Now let's so you guys deal with this…" Kotetsu said about to kick at me. I knew that Lee was going to stop the kick so I stepped back to dodge.

"Hey, what happened to the plan? I thought you were the one who said to keep a low profile and don't let anyone see our skill level." Neji said walking up to Lee.

"I know but…" Lee started. He turned to me. I sweat dropped… Oh great. Here comes the start of the 'youthful' Lee.

"Nevermind. It's over… forget it…" Tenten said shaking her head. Neji looked at me a little curiously. I smiled slightly at his familiar stoic face. Lee was blushing at me.

"My name is Rock Lee. What is your name?" He asked standing in front of me.

"Um... I'm Haruno Sakura." I said awkwardly.

"Wait. You're **THE** HARUNO SAKURA!? The singer of the Haruno Akatsuki?" Tenten asked shoving Lee and Neji out of the way. I sweat dropped. Neji looked almost like he wanted to kill himself from embarassment. I was snickering in the back of my mind.

"Um. Yeah." I said.

"Oh my god. I can't believe it. I'm actually seeing you in real life as a ninja! You must be great if you're a singer and a ninja all at the same time! Your cousins are amazing too! Could you introduce me to them sometime?" Tenten asked amazed.

"Sure." I said.

"Awesome!" Tenten said grinning.

"Come on, Naruto. Let's go. You too Sasuke." I said grabbing their hands. They both complied quietly. We went to the same spot and Lee challenged Sasuke to a match. The same thing happened to Lee and Sasuke. Sasuke got beat, and Lee was punched by Gai. His hands were revealed. Naruto said stuff about Lee's hands pushing Sasuke to work harder. We finally got to the classroom and found Kakashi-sensei waiting for us in front of the door.

* * *

"Alright… I know that you're all here and for the right reasons. Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke, I couldn't have asked for a better team. I'm proud of you… I couldn't ask for a better team… Good luck…" Kakashi said stepping aside. We walked to the door.

"We won't let you down sensei! Believe it!" Naruto said using his catch phrase. We walked in and closed the door. Naruto stared. I stood cooly with a calm composure remembering the feeling of the stares. I sighed. Sasuke gulped slightly. "Wh-what's this...?" Naruto stuttered. Everyone was staring at us. I sweat dropped. Why did they all have to stare anyways?

"Sasuke-kun! Where've you been?! Boy you have no idea how much I was hoping you'd show up here. I've missed those brutty good looks of yours…" Ino said giggling and hugging Sasuke from behind. I ignored Ino while Shikamaru and Chouji started playfully arguing with Naruto. Not long after, Team 8 appeared as well.

"Hey you guys! You might wanna try keeping it down a little. I mean no offense, but you're the rookie teams right? Fresh out of the academy? I wouldn't go making a spectacle of yourselves… Just cool it… This isn't a class field trip." Kabuto said.

"Well who asked you? Who are you anyways?" Ino asked loudly.

"I'm Kabuto Yakushi. But really… look around you. You've made quite an impression." Kabuto said. The others looked around nervously. I could tell the tension in the room was easy to cut through like a butter knife through butter.

"See those guys? They're from Amegakure (the Rain Village). Very touchy… They all are… This exams makes everyone tense… And you don't want to rub them the wrong way right now." Kabuto said. Then he sighed. "You can't help it… I mean, how could you know how things work? You're just rookies. You even remind me of myself a while back." Kabuto said smiling.

"So this isn't your first time, I'm assuming." I said. Kabuto nodded and sighed. "No… This is my… seventh time…" Kabuto said hesitantly. Shikamaru blinked in surprise.

"Well. They're held twice a year… so this will be my fourth year…" Kabuto said.

"So I guess all the rumors about these exams are true… Man, I knew this was gonna be a drag…" Shikamaru said.

"Hang on… Don't give up hope yet… Maybe I can help you kids out a little with my… ninja info cards…" Kabuto said holding the deck in his hand.

"What the heck are those?" Ino asked.

"It's hard to explain… but these cards have been chakra encoded with everything I've learned over the past 4 years. I've got more then 200 of them, so you see; I haven't been completely wasting my time… The may not look like much to the naked eye. In fact, they appear blank. Don't want just anyone seeing this stuff." Kabuto said. I stayed silent and the card poofed.

"Awesome. A map! Of what?" Ino asked.

"It shows the geographical distribution of all the candidates who've come to take the chunnin exam, what village they come from and how many from each village. Why do you guys think they all come here to take the exam together and at the same time?" Kabuto asked.

"The foster friendship between nations, international brotherhood and what not and also so they can regulate the total number of shinobi that end up in each village. It's so that they can maintain the balance of power and not let war break out between two nations in which one is tempted to attack another." I said dully.

"You sure know your stuff." Kabuto said looking at me and making the card go blank yet again.

"Hm… Do those cards of yours have any info on the other candidates individually?" I asked him.

"They might… Do you have someone special in mind?" Kabuto asked smirking and looking up at me. I glared slightly.

"I might." I said narrowing my eyes.

"Well, I can't promise my information is complete or perfect… but I have something on just about everyone… including you guys of course. So which one is it? Tell me anything you know about them, a description, where they're from, whatever… Anything at all…" Kabuto said smirking.

"He's Garra… of the desert… Rock Lee of the leaf village while you're at it…" I said.

"Man. That's no fun. You even know their names… That makes it easy." Kabuto said picking out two cards. "Here they are…" He said holding them up facing himself.

"Show them to me…" I said glaring.

"Ok first up is Rock Lee." Kabuto said making the card poof.

"Looks like he's about a year older then you guys, mission experience… 11 C ranks and 20 D ranks… His squad leader is Gai… In the last twelve months, his taijutsu had radically improved… but his other skills are pretty shaky. Last year, he got a lot of attention as a gennin but for some reason… he chose not to participate in the chunnin exam…

This'll be his first time as a candidate, same as you guys. His teammates are Tenten and Neji Hyuuga… Next is Garra of the desert…" Kabuto said poofing the second card.

"Mission experience: 8 C ranks and… get this… 1 B rank as a gennin… There's not a lot more information on this guy… He was a rookie from another land originally… but there is this… He survived every mission without getting a scratch on him." Kabuto said.

"The dude's done a B-rank as a gennin and has never even been injured?" Shikamaru asked in shock.

"What's the deal with this guy…?" Naruto asked.

"Leaf, Sand, Rain, Grass, Waterfall, Sound… From the looks of it, they've all sent exceptionally skilled candidates to the exams this time around… Of course… The hidden sound village is small… It sprang up recently, no one knows anything about it. Those guys are a mystery." Kabuto said. "Well. You get the point. The competition's going to be intense this year."

"So it would seem… It's almost enough to make you lose your confidence…" Hinata murmured.

"Well, we're here anyways. Might as well do our best and show'em what we got since we're the rookies here." I said. Hinata seemed to smiled in relief at my reassuring look at her.

I smirked at Naruto's shaking. His crazy outburst, although reckless and insane, it was gonna do every one of us some good. "Rrghh… RAH!" Naruto said pointing to the people staring at us. Everyone went silent. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki! And I'm gonna beat every one of yah! BELIEVE IT!" Naruto shouted.

I sensed Kakashi-sensei's chakra behind the door. Oh man. He must've heard. Well… That's embarrassing. "Yeah! I feel a lot better now!" Naruto said leaning back and grinning.

"Uhh. Can you say that again a little louder…? Didn't quite catch it…" Kiba said staring at Naruto.

"You moron. Are you trying to get everybody in the place to hate our guts or what?" Shikamaru asked.

I sighed and leaned back against the wall waiting for the sound ninja to come at Kabuto. Then I sensed it and my eyes flickered towards the ninja in front of us. I knew it. The sound ninja were on the move... Zaku threw his kunai. Kabuto dodged. The Dosu tried to punch him. He missed but the sound attack hit him. I made sense of it and cursed my younger self for being so naïve and weak.

Kabuto's glasses then broke. "Che. Look at him. Acting like a tough guy." Shikamaru said.

Suddenly Kabuto threw up. Every one of the rookies except for me widened thei eyes. "Hang on. I saw everything and that attack missed. What happened!?" Sasuke asked. I stayed silent. Naruto and Hinata went to help Kabuto.

* * *

After that was done a loud bang came throughout the room. "All right you baby faced degenerates. Pipe down and listen up!" said a voice in the smoke.

As the smoke disappeared there stands a man with a few scars on his face with some other ninjas behind him.

"It's time to begin… I'm Ibiki Morino, your proctor, and from this moment, your worst enemy." He said glaring at all of us in the room. I rolled my eyes. As usual, his personality hasn't changed at all…

"First, you candidates from the village hidden in the sound… Knock it off! Who told you that you could fight? Do you want to be failed before we ever begun?" Ibiki asked pointing at the sound ninja.

"Sorry. It's our first time… guess we're a little jumpy… Sir…" Dosu said. Ibiki smirked.

"I'll say this once so listen up. There will be no combat between candidates. No attacking eachother without the permission of your proctor, and even then, the use of fatal force is strictly prohibited. Anyone who even thinks of messing with me will be disqualified immediately. Got it?" Ibiki growled glaring harshly.

"Hmph. No fatal force? That's no fun." Zaku said. A few of the examiners in the front of the room with Ibiki, chuckled.

"Now, if we're ready. We'll proceed to the first stage of the chunnin exam. Hand over your paper work. In return, you'll each be given a number. This number determines where you will sit. We'll start the written test once you're all seated." Ibiki said. I heard Naruto moan in depression. I sweat dropped.

* * *

When everyone was finally calm and seated, Ibiki started explaining the written exam. I looked across the room and saw Naruto freaking out. I just shook my head and started my exam. Sasuke was copying another ninja in front of him.

When the test was over, they gave us the tenth question explaining more rules.

Naruto did his little outburst at the end about him becoming hokage and then, in the end, we all passed… Everyone was relieved and happy and Naruto was jumping around.

Then, like last time, Anko burst through the window and the cloth with her name on it was hung up in front of Ibiki. I smirked at her jumpiness. Naruto freaked out and got nervous once again.

* * *

"HEADS UP BOYS AND GIRLS! THIS IS NO TIME TO BE CELEBRATING! I'll be your next proctor, Anko Mitarashi. Ready for the second test? Good! Then let's go! Follow me!" Anko said not waiting for an answer. I laughed lightly to myself at her familiar jumpiness; there were many times where I had to work with her while I was an Anbu.

The interrogation corps had to have Anbu guards watching the prisoners while they were interrogated. Kakashi-sensei also often had get togethers with all the other jounnins and we girls got along just fine.

"You're early… again…" Ibiki said leaning over and glaring. Anko laughed nervously and flushed in embarrassment. I smirked and leaned back, enjoying the show. Watching these two argue was pretty fun in the past too.

"How many are there? Ibiki… You let all these guys pass? Your test was too easy! You must be getting soft." Anko asked glaring.

"Or it could be a stronger crop of candidates this year." Ibiki said glaring back.

"Hmm… They sure don't look it… Trust me, before I'm done with them, more then half will be eliminated. Heh… This is gonna be fun…" Anko said smirking sadistically. I could feel the atmosphere in the room tense.

"Alright. You maggots have had it easy so far… But things are gonna be different starting first thing in the morning. I'll let your squad leaders know where you're to meet me. Dismissed…" She said the last word too sweetly. I sweat dropped.

After we left the academy and split ways, I trained on using the blade again. I tried to push in chakra into the blade, but my chakra didn't really do anything. I was a little confused. I could feel the icy feeling but it was merely remaining dormant… It wasn't flowing through me… I wasn't like the time when I had battled with Shisui for the first time, or when the ice had frozen the ground…

I wondered how I would be able to fight with the strange power.

* * *

The next day we all met just outside of the forest of death.

And again Naruto is making a fool of himself by making Anko mad.

"They call it the forest of death! And soon enough you're gonna find out why!" he says imitating Anko in an unflattering way. "Do your worst you're not going to scare me away! I can handle anything!" He yelled at her.

Of course, knowing her as well as I did…

She was not going to just sit back and take that.

"So it looks like we got ourselves a tough guy" She says in a sweet dangerous tone. Suddenly she had a kunai out and threw it at Naruto and cut his cheek. Anko got behind him and said in a creepy voice, "Are you tough enough to handle this? You're not afraid are you?" she said and started to wipe a bit of blood off Naruto's cheek.

"Tough guys like you usually leave their blood all over this forest." She said sadistically smirking. Then Orochimaru got behind Anko dressed up as a female Grass ninja.

"I was… Just returning your kunai knife…" He said in a female voice.

"Why Thank You, Grass ninja." Anko said smiling. "But you know I really wouldn't recommend you standing this close behind me unless you wish to reach a premature end." She warned.

"My pardon, but sight of blood and your blade slicing through my hair, I'm afraid I got a little excited..." he said rolling back his tongue. "I meant you no harm." He said walking away, his eye on me. I ignored him and watched Naruto, boredly, smirking as Naruto who was trying to do the same thing with his own tougue, but remembering how Orochimaru had transformed into Naruto with the tongue creeped me out… I'd rather he not try and get his tongue like Orochimaru's.

"Likewise…" Anko said slipping her kunai back.

"Seems like everyone here is quick tempered… There must be something in the air…" Anko said. I saw Naruto glare at her. Then she turned to all of us and started to explain the test. It was the same as before with the tower and the heaven and earth scrolls.

"Oh and I have one more word of advice… Just don't die!" She said. Everyone nodded and started to discuss with their teammates. When she finished her speech she sighed. We all signed the papers and then exchanged them for our scroll, the heaven scroll.

Sasuke took the scroll like in the past, and we entered the forest. I had a feeling things were going to be a bit different with Orochimaru.

* * *

We heard the screams of ninja and Naruto looked like he needed to go and pee. We were attacked by the same rain ninja, like before. Naruto had been tied up when he went to go pee, and the rain ninja had acted like Naruto, but I had seen it along with Sasuke and we attacked before he could attack us.

Once we had untied Naruto, I punched him over the head. "Ow! What was that for Sakura-chan!" Naruto whined.

"For being an idiot and getting caught. You could have gotten yourself killed." I said.

"Sorry." Naruto whined.

"Alright... We'll need to be more careful to know it's really the real person who's around… and not some imposter…" I said sighing and sitting down and noticing a tube in the ground to listen for anything. Orochimaru...

"A password… something only the three of us know… And don't trust anyone who doesn't know it… no matter what…" Sasuke said.

"Ok…" Naruto said. When no one thought of anything... I decided I would say it.

"Alright. Listen carefully, and I'm only going to repeat this once. The question will be, when does a ninja strike? And the answer is, a ninja strikes when the time is right. When the enemy sleeps and drops his guard… when his weapons lay forgotten in the stillness of the night… that is the time for a ninja to strike… Got it?" I asked.

The others nodded. Naruto scratched his head."Uhh… You got a shorter one?" Naruto asked.

"No Naruto. That's it…" I said firmly, remembering everything like before.

"Alright… We'd better get going." I said getting up. Sasuke nodded. Suddenly Naruto was cut by a slash of wind chakra. Suddenly, the wind blast came and I managed to dodge out of the way. I got up to see Sasuke come out of the bushes. He recited the password after I asked the question.

* * *

Then we both turned to see a fake Naruto. It was then I realized the same presence I had felt back when I had sensed the sound ninja was the same presence that the fake Naruto had. I immediately drew my blade and Naruto yelped, blocking with his kunai. Sasuke looked totally out of it and completely confused.

"Who are you…?" I growled. Naruto looked surprised before smirking.

"Heh. I would expect that from you. Especially since you and I can feel each other." The voice was female. I jumped back, to find myself staring at a silver haired red eyed female, who looked like... me. Her clothing was the same, just in different colors. Sasuke immediately readied his weapon.

"Sasuke, go and look for Naruto. Hurry." I said. Sasuke nodded and left.

Why was her presence so familiar?

"You still don't remember huh? I guess since I didn't speak to you for so long, you forgot I'd even been there." She said.

"No… no way." I murmured in shock. This was impossible… I thought she'd merely been a figment of my imagination. Just a small part of me. My conscience… Well. Not really. Just the other part of me that wanted to let loose. The one I had become after training with Tsunade.

"Hm. Maybe you do remember. You're smart enough to figure it out." She said grinning.

It was then I noticed the headband on her head.

Sound.

She was the enemy.

That was all that mattered. I shut my eyes before attacking with my sword. She smirked and countered my attack with her own kunai. I only had my double handed blade with me right now, because I had been focused on trying to unlock that power with it. I gritted my teeth. She was working for Orochimaru. The enemy. I had to defeat her… I didn't know what she would do… with her as a factor… the events would be unpredictable. But… How was she in her own body?

I was thinking and fighting at the same time, and being distracted by my thoughts, she kicked me into a tree, and I coughed out blood, sliding down the tree. "You're weak. You're scared that you won't be able to protect the ones you love. Scared they're going to die. Scared that you're going to die…" She said, her eyes glinted with a killer's intent.

I knew, she was right… Even after Tsunade's training, even after the many missions with the close risk of dying… I had still been scared that Team 7 would never be the same, forever… I was scared Naruto would die, scared that Sasuke would die… Even when I thought I could kill Sasuke… I had been frightened at how Naruto would look at me.

I found myself being choked by her. "You're still weak." She hissed.

Weak.

The word echoed within my mind.

After all this time… I was still thought of to be weak.

Why…?

I was so pathetic…

No. This time… I wouldn't be weak. I wouldn't fear this for my friends. I would protect them. This was my resolve. I'd give my life. I wouldn't fear this. I had already died once… I'd killed once, and after killing once, what was another life cut away? It was merely another blood stain on my hands… This was the life of the Shinobi…

* * *

Suddenly I found myself in an icy land. The forest of death was gone. My eyes widened when I found the dragon before me.

"Why are you afraid?" He murmured. I stared but responded quietly.

"I… don't know." I murmured.

"You still haven't called on my power. Fight. Do not fear. You are one, the enemy is one. What is there to fear? Face the enemy. Protect your friends. You should be able to hear me now. That which blocked your ears was the worthless fear you held onto from the past. Move forwards. Hesitate and you will die." The dragon said.

I found myself back in the forwards with _her._

* * *

She had stabbed me with a kunai. Not in a vital area, but just so that I would feel pain.

I gripped my blade, feeling the icy power run through me. The ground froze and the sky darkened. I could hear the dragon speaking to me in my mind.

"_Call on me, and wield my power. Become my master. I who sit upon the frozen heavens. My name is Hyourinmaru (Ice Ring)!" _ The dragon's voice called.

"Sit upon the frozen heavens… Hyourinmaru!" I called out looking up. The girl jumped back and I could see my blade glowing brightly. A chain appeared from the end with a cresent blade and I swung the blade down on instinct after filling it with chakra.

A large icy blue dragon with red eyes appeared and flew at the girl, crashing into a tree along with her. She managed to dodge out of the way, but her hand had been frozen. The tree that the dragon hit was frozen completely at the base with ice spikes coming from the place where the dragon had hit. She looked surprised and smirked.

"You've gotten over your fears I see. Maybe you aren't so weak after all… but I still don't see the reason you were in control, while I sat at the back of your mind, unable to do anything." She growled.

I knew it. It was her. My "inner".

"What are you doing here?" I growled.

"Hm. You see, when you were sent through, the Goddess only allowed the part of your "heart" that was pure light. I was created from the darkness within your heart, and so we were split. Your "heart" was split in two and I was born. Of course, that also affected your destiny, since our hearts were originally one. They will have to join again some time." She said.

"So you were sent back as well for that purpose. For us to merge back as one being once again." I said. She smirked.

"Smart, like I remember. I found myself here, and I still have those memories. Of course, the same rules apply to my existence being erased from this world if anyone were to find out, so you're safe. We will have our fight to see which one of us is truly worthy of being in control, of being here… but not yet. You still have some friends to save. You may have stopped the massacre, but he is still after Sasuke." She said.

"Wait. You have a name, don't you? And why are you telling me this?!" I asked pulling out the kunai and gritting my teeth in pain.

"I'm known as Kuragari (Darkness). As for why I'm telling you this… I guess you could say it's for my own amusement. I'm not siding with Orochimaru, but I'm not siding with you either. I'll see you later… Sakura." She said throwing me something round before dissapearing in a flurry of black petals. I was surprised and shocked to see that it was a earth scroll. Exactly what we needed.

* * *

I sensed Orochimaru's chakra with Naruto and Sasuke. I dashed towards them, seeing that my blade was still in its new form. The chain was touching the ground along with the cresent blade and I was surprised it was freezing whatever it touched. I picked up the chain a little cautiously. I surprised it didn't freeze me…

"_I can freeze anything that touches me other than you, since you are my wielder, master. You can learn to turn off that ability slowly. I will guide you, but you must create new techniques and figure out how to use my abilities on your own."_ Hyourinmaru's voice spoke in my mind.

I smiled lightly in agreement and dashed forwards. I was no longer afraid of that Orochi-stupid-pedo-snake-maru. I was annoyed and pissed. He wasn't going to touch my boys. I noticed Orochimaru about to throw a barrage of kunai at Sasuke who was petrified even with his own Sharingan on. Naruto was unconscious against the tree. I knocked Sasuke out of the way and he fell against the tree.

"S-sakura?" He asked in shock.

"Idiot. Why were you just standing there?! Do you still have the scroll?" I asked. Sasuke nodded, a little nervously. "Good."

"It's not good to turn your back to your enemy." Orochimaru hissed. I gritted my teeth in anger and glared at Orochimaru with a pure killing intent. I couldn't wait to kill him knowing I had the ability to, but I knew it would mess up my identity and blow my cover, so I couldn't kill him. Still. I was pissed. He wasn't going to touch my teammates again. Not this time.

"Sasuke. Can you stand?" I asked.

"Yeah." He said.

"Good, when you see an opening, attack from long range. I'll keep him busy. Don't question me." I said. Sasuke nodded.

I rushed at Orochimaru and clashed with him. He was surprised by my speed and blocked my attack with a kunai. I spun and swung low at his legs. He dodged out of the way and threw a kick, which I caught with my hand using it as leverage to throw myself up into the air.

Suddenly his snakes came at me and I barely managed to dodge them in the air. Suddenly, everything looked at if time had slowed down. I was completely confused. Was it a spur of the moment? Wait. No. I could feel the chakra running into my eyes.

It was then, I realized I had awakened my own bloodline. Sasuke threw his own barrage of weapons and Orochimaru dodged, jumping into the air.

That was when I cut him across the chest, and the blood froze in the wound. My movement speed had also improved due to my ability to see the movements in slow motion. He landed and hissed in pain before staring at me with blood lust and sending his body paralysis jutsu at me, meanwhile Sasuke managed to catch him with the Sharingan Windmil Triple Blade.

The wires guided by the mini-triple bladed windmill shuriken wrapped around Orochimaru keeping him stuck to the tree and send a Dragon Flame Jutsu at him, melting off half of the fake face of the grass nin.

I was temporarily paralyzed by Orochimaru's jutsu, but merely ignored the vision I had seen of my own death and sent a flare of chakra throughout my body to release the muscles. It sent a wave of pain through my body, but I had to be ready if he attacked again.

Orochimaru breathed slightly heavily and held to the wound he had across his chest, the ice had melted from Sasuke's dragon flame jutsu and he was bleeding heavily. He hissed. "My name is Orochimaru and I will have you, Uchiha!" He hissed before disappearing. I deactivated my kekei genkai, cutting off the chakra from my eyes. Sasuke looked confused.

I felt a pain in my abdomen and felt something wet. I looked down. I had forgotten I was still bleeding from the wound that Kuragari had given me. I sheathed Hyourinmaru, and the chain disappeared, the blade turning back to its original form. I collapsed to the ground, breathing slightly heavily. Sasuke rushed to my side.

"Sakura. Are you ok?" He asked.

"I'm fine…" I said, as I used my chakra to heal my wound. Sasuke looked surprised. I smiled lightly. "Those books your dad gave me on medical ninjutsu are useful." I said grinning slightly. Sasuke smiled in relief before looking to Naruto, who was still unconscious and stuck to the tree trunk with a kunai pinning him to the tree.

* * *

Suddenly, there were 5 Anbu surrounding us along with Anko. 1 female Anbu and 4 males. I recognized two of the male's chakras. Itachi and Shisui. They all looked down at us. One of the Anbu spoke. "They smell like him." I was guessing it was an Inuzuka. There was a wolf beside him.

"I'll go after him with Dog and Bear." Anko said. "You three take care of the kids."

"It doesn't look like you three will be able to continue the exam. We're going to have to disqualify your team." The female Anbu said.

"What?! No!" Sasuke said desperately.

"We have both scrolls." I spoke. Sasuke blinked at me in shock and I pulled out the scroll that Kuragari had given me. Sasuke pulled out his own scroll as well.

"Well well. Looks like you three earned yourselves a free ride to the tower." A familiar voice said. I blinked in recognition.

"Shisui-sempai?" I asked surprised and breathily. He chuckled and nodded. I was lifted up by the female and Sasuke was taken by Itachi, while Shisui had to deal with the unconscious Naruto. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to rest, feeling the wind passing by. We got to the tower. Shisui tried to wake Naruto, but Naruto just wouldn't wake up. Sasuke tried kicking the idiot, but that wouldn't work either.

I sighed.

"That's not how you're supposed to wake him up." I sad.

"How the hell do you wake him up?" Shisui asked in annoyance.

"Like this." I said. I walked up to Naruto and sat down, and spoke quite clearly. "Naruto. There's a giant ramen bowl waiting outside." I said.

"HUH!?" Naruto sat up immediately and look around. "Where where?!" He asked. Everyone in the room but me stared at Naruto, thinking, "This kid… is obsessed… Seriously…." I was laughing lightly. Naruto was pouting.

"Aww. Sakura-chan! You tricked me...!" Naruto whined. Then his expression changed to a serious one.

"Wait! Where's the creepy-snake guy!? What happened? Sakura-chan, there's blood on your stomach! Are you ok? Oh my god! Who are these masked people?! Where are we?" Naruto asked, freaking out. I was snickering. Sasuke was about to burst out laughing and Shisui was already having the laugh of his life. The female Anbu was laughing lightly along with Shisui. Itachi looked like he was shaking and about to burst as well.

"We'll explain everything later, Naruto, but first, we have both scrolls. I think we're supposed to open them now right? Anko didn't say anything about not being allowed to open them in the tower…" I said.

"Go ahead, kiddo. We'll let you guys have your privacy but after that, you'll have to come with us." Shisui said. I nodded.

"So where are we anyways?" Naruto asked.

"We're in the tower. The snake guy, A.K.A. Orochimaru, just sank into the tree after I managed to cut him and Sasuke burned off his face… but what was really creepy was he had another face under his face… and I think he's a guy… but I'm not sure anymore, because after Sasuke burned off half his face, his voice was more snake-like, you know, with the hissy thing, and it sounded like a man." I said.

"Woah… That… is really creepy…" Naruto said amazed. I sweat dropped.

"So how did you get the scroll anyways, Sakura?" Sasuke asked.

"I managed to fight the girl… She let me have the scroll after a while of fighting… Luckily, it was the opposite scroll of ours. Then I went to find you guys and saw you fighting him while Naruto was pinned to the tree unconscious." I said.

"Well, anyways, let's get to opening the scrolls." Sasuke said. I nodded. We both opened the scrolls.

"Man? Person? What...?" Sasuke asked confused. Naruto stared, totally confused.

"It's a summoning jutsu. Throw it over there!" I said throwing my scroll Sasuke did the same. They crossed and Iruka appeared in front of us. We all stared.

* * *

After that we were taken to the infirmary, and interrogated about what had happened. We all had gotten into contact with Orochimaru and were bombarded with psych questions, just to make sure that we weren't dangerous to the village or ourselves. We weren't given much information, but I knew Orochimaru was after Sasuke and voiced what had happened at the end. Sasuke knew of this as well, but had been unsure due to the amount of action at the time. I had merely confirmed his suspicions.

We were to be released the next morning, and kept in for the night, just in case something happened. Sasuke had also voiced that Orochimaru had done something to Naruto's stomach and the Hokage had taken Naruto out for a few moments, into another room.

Sakura knew that the fourth Hokage had probably released the 5 pronged seal over the 8 pronged seal on Naruto's stomach, when Naruto yelped in pain and grunted. Of course, Minato merely said it was a way to release Naruto's muscles. Naruto wasn't suspicious at all.

I knew that the preliminary rounds were going to happen again… and I had a gut feeling I would be facing Ino, once again… but this time, it was going to be different.

We were once close friends in the past life. In this life, I hadn't approached her. She was still a fan-girl of Sasuke though.

I knew I would have to approach her some time… we were comrades after all…

But how I would do so, was the question...

* * *

Coming up next... Chapter 8: To Hesitate but Fight

YOU KNOW WHAT'S COMING UP! Yes... Sakura vs Ino. Sakura's emotional turmoil will probably be the theme in that chapter. I wasn't planning on it, but I really wanted to add it in because I think I'll have a little fun with the reactions of everyone. I'm also changing up the prelims, but matches will be the same. You'll know what I mean by "change" when you read the next chapter.

YES! I FINALLY UPDATED. 2 days late… FORGIVE ME PLEASE! I'm soo sad! I am not only depressed, but school is coming up, and I won't be able to update very often anymore. Don't worry about me dropping this. I SWEAR I NEVER WILL. Cross my heart and hope to die.

Now… I need to rant to you people some more, because my dad is bipolar, I swear. See, this is want happened.

Not too long ago, he asked me to find a place on the GPS on my phone cause my 2nd cousin's party was there. I found it, and we drove there, and there's no parking, so he's like… "what's the distance" and I'm like… "it doesn't say". He's yells "It should say, it's on the screen!" . And I show him the screen he reads "18.3 km." and I'm like totally silent. He's like "You don't know how to use your stupid phone GPS. We're lost!" I'm like "I typed it in." He's like "shut up." And I see the sign, but I don't say anything, since he told me to shut up and he looks really pissed. So we drive and look for some parking. WE finally find parking and my cousin calls to see if we're coming. I ask her where is it and she gives me directions and after I get off the phone, he's complaining about how we don't know where the place is, and I say I know where it is, and he tells me, "Shut up! You don't know how to use your phone, dumb***." 

SO. I'M LIKE. WTF. I'm hurt, I'm insulted by my father, and he yells at me. I FOUND THE PLACE. WE GOT THERE. AND HE TELLS ME I DON'T FREAKING KNOW HOW TO USE THE GPS? He's the one who downloaded the damn thing in the first place! 

AND. Not only that. He complained the rest of the way home about me not knowing how to use the damn GPS. I sat at the back of the car instead of the front passenger seat because I was a little nervous and scared. He didn't say anything about it. He continued to complain. 

I am still nervous and scared, so there is no way I'm just going to walk up to him and talk. My mom's busy and I don't really feel like telling her I'm scared of my father, and my lil' bro would probably laugh at me and tell my dad, which would probably piss my dad off more and scare me even more. My relatives would probably tell each other. Then the whole family would know and my dad would figure it out. 

I really just wanna take a break from home and everything. You know. Be alone for a while? A few days would be great. I just like peace and solitude more than anything else. It just calms me a lot and helps me control my emotions. AND I also want to show them what it was like if I wasn't around for a while! Seriously. Then maybe he'd regret all the yelling and insulting he's done… But my mom doesn't deserve to feel that.

Like that saying… People don't know what they have until they lose it? Or something? It's more meant for death, but still. I'm pissed. Any good advice?

Luckily I have my own room which I have locked and have allowed no one but myself inside since the day my uncle left the house and gave the room to me. Otherwise, I wouldn't even be able to have my own privacy on my lap top. I'm just glad I have some alone time right now.

ALSO. Something is wrong with the files on Fanfic, because every single time I edit, they ALWAYS TAKE AWAY THE UNDERLINING FOR SOME OF THE LINES! ARGGHH! I'm ANGRY. Anyways, thanks for reading the whole rant.

-SasuLovesSaku4Ever


	9. Chapter 8: To Hesitate but Fight

Ok! Here's your next chapter!

Responses to Reviews first before we get on with the story though.

**Kisa Black: Aww. Thanks. Lol... To be honest, my school grade counselor SUCKS. She doesn't talk to anyone at all and she is sooo - mind my language - F-ing lazy. Our whole grade wants her to get fired or go die in a ditch... Seriously.**

**LOL. haha. I think I saw a masked "Real Sasuke" in the movie trailers too. Not sure though. but he had the bandages and the same hair style... soooo I'm pretty sure its him. I REALLY WANNA WATCH IT. I don't care if it's in japanese or not!**

**SasukexSakuraLov: LOL. I have no idea how to respond to your review... It's soooo SOOOO LONG! I LOVE IT. Heheh. I'm not going to get Ino all ruffled up since Sakura isn't actually her "real rival" anymore. Her jutsu isn't going to be used because according to Sakura in the anime, it's an extremely slow technique which she could probably dodge.**

**As for me being annoyed. I'm no longer annoyed. LOL. Ranting online is awesome. At least for me. Well. Hopefully I don't get annoyed by him again. No hating. I got it. but still. I get really really irritated. I enjoy listening to music and try, but he just yells over the music I have with my earphones and I get even more annoyed... unfortunately.**

**Just going to keep the replies short this time.**

**candybluesful: Lol. thanks. I like having a plot twist from time to time, but I just get annoyed when there's too many plot twists. hehe. I know, that happens sometimes for me, but my dad is stubborn, and most of the time, he just has to "win", which really annoys me because the fact is that I'm a little intimidated when he gets angry. Oh well though.**

** : haha. Thanks. Oh. Yah. Sakura will show her real skills but she has to keep her secret. I want to make this fanfic different from the other time travel fan fics that just let Sakura tell her secret almost right away. It kind of just ruins the fun of time travel fics for me. Sasuke will not leave Konoha, because Sakura will make sure of it! XD**

**Thanks for reviewing!**

**Nessa671: Thanks. Please continue to review!**

**Nuria Sato: Lol. Most of the time, I'm just waiting for you to read and review. Hehe. LOL. I love the image of you killing him. I laughed. Yes. He has disgusting yellow teeth. So let me know what you think of this chapter as well! I liked the idea you gave me about making Ino jealous. I had that sort of idea in the beginning but it was pretty hard since Sakura's involvement with Ino in this story was pretty much like... 0.1%...?**

**As for Sakura teasing Sasuke... I will have a few more moments, before Sasuke starts making his "moves" and let them get together, but Sakura will still tease Sasuke of course. ****Oh, and I probably will give a POV for Naruto, since I want to get him nervous before his match with Neji and all. Naruhina FTW! Lol. They're a cute couple too. I find it pretty funny when Hinata gets all shy and fidgets or freaks out when Naruto shows up.**

**Jasmine-.-Momo-chan: Lol. Yeah. It's ok. I would have laughed if I was in your place too. Actually, I was smirking in my head. Hm. Unfortunately, even if I want to tell you what Sakura's inner will be doing, you'll have to find out. Yes. Haku is going to come back in the future, he might also show up in the sequel as well. ****Hahah. Kisame is awesome too. I loved the memory he remembered of Itachi talking to him before he died. Yes, I'm going to get Sasuke to make his move soon, but I'm going to let Sakura tease him a bit more before he actually makes his move.**

**Thanks for reading my authors note at the beginning. Yeah. I feel like my dad doesn't have any respect for me what so ever. I keep thinking I don't want to respect him either, but still, it's soo freaking intimidating just staying around him when he gets angry. **

Ok. Now then, Let's begin!

Legend:

"_Thought"  
_"Speech"_  
__"Spirit/God/Goddess/Any spiritual-like being"__**  
"Demon/Tailed Beast"  
**_**"Emphasis"  
**Japanese name/catchword (Meaning of name/Translation)

– Point of View P.O.V. – (Place)  
Chapter Number: Chapter Title

* * *

Chapter Eight: To Hesitate but Fight

– Sakura's P.O.V. – (Preliminary Stadium)

I stood with Naruto and Sasuke in the stadium with all the other shinobi teams. There were 8 teams… 5 Teams from the Leaf Village, 2 Teams from the Sound Village, and 1 Team from the Sand Village… The thing was, I was surprised to see the main families from the Leaf Village's main clans were here. I wondered if they were here to observe the battles.

Many of the jounnin and chunnin there all eyed the rookies with curiosity, in surprise, seeing all nine rookies had made it to the tower. The Fourth Hokage was smiling lightly knowing that the jounnin that had trained the rookies had really been right. Their rookies were full of surprises.

"First of all, congratulations on finishing the second exam..." Anko said. 24 ninja had passed the second exam like in my past with the exact same people. I noticed Kuragari smirking at me. I stared at her blankly.

"I'm really hungry..." Chouji moaned.

"What a drag, there's so many left... This is such a pain..." Shikamaru said sighed. Ino looked and smiled.

"Oh! Sasuke and his team made it too!" She said happily.

"I see your team didn't do too bad Kakashi. They must have gotten real lucky. Of course with my team still around, your team is doomed to failure. After all, what matters on the next part of the test is ability, and we've got you far outclassed. Well, I guess that part of growing up is learning to deal with heartbreak, huh Kakashi?" Gai said smilng and looking at Kakashi.

...

"Hmmm? Did you say something?" Kakashi asked. I smirked in amusement at their exchange and Kakashi's usual 'cool and calm' response.

"GAHH!" Gai yelled with his hands on his head and his jaw gapping. Gai growled to himself and held up a fist in anger.

"Wow. All of the rookies are here." Sasuke said.

"It looks like no one got left out this time! Even our parents are here!" Naruto murmured.

I noticed Shisui looking at me and I raised an eyebrow. He gave a small grin and wave. I smiled lightly in acknowledgement and noticed Kakashi looking at us expectantly. I looked to the sound team, noticing that Zaku had his arms in a cast. It was surprising his wound had resulted in being the same… Then again, he could merely be faking it to have an ace in the hole like the past…

I noticed Neji looking curiously at Sasuke and I. Both sound teams were also looking at me. I knew they had probably seen the state of Orochimaru after our battles. I could also feel Orochimaru's glare from his stand within the group of jounnin.

"Alright, now pay attention! Lord Hokage is going to explain the third exam to you! You'd better listen carefully maggots." Anko said before turning to Minato. "Lord Hokage, they're all yours." Anko said sweetly and respectfully at the same time. Minato nodded stepping forward.

"First, before I tell you what the third exam is, I'd like you all to understand something about the exams themselves. I'm going to tell you the true purpose of these exams." Minato said. "Why do you suppose our country holds these exams in conjunction with our allies?" He asked. Naruto shrugged.

"To raise the ability of the shinobi and increase friendship with allied nations, yes, but it's important you understand the exam's true meaning." Minato said. "The exams are... a representation of the battle between allied nations." Minato said.

"Hm?" Rock Lee tilted his head ever so slightly.

"And what's that supposed to mean?!" Tenten asked.

"Well, if we look at our history, all the countries that we are currently allied with were once neighboring nations that continuously fought with each other for power. In order to avoid destroying each other's military strength meaninglessly, those nations picked champions to do battle on behalf of their countries at a mutually selected location... That was how the chunnin selection exams originally began." Minato said.

"Well... that's great, but why do we have to go through these exams then? It's not like we're picking chunnin to fight for like wars or anything." Naruto said.

"Well... actually, there's no question that part of the point of these exams is to select shinobi worthy of becoming chunnin, but that's just not the whole story." Minato said scratching the back of his head.

"So what is the whole story?" Naruto asked.

Minato's face turned serious. "These exams also allow a place where Shinobi can carry the pride of their nation on their backs and fight against other ninja for their very lives." Minato said.

"Pride of their nation?" Hinata asked.

"Many leaders and people of prominence from various countries, are invited to attend these exams, as guests and also possibly to seek Shinobi to work for them. This exam could determine the course of your ninja work from here on out and more importantly; those rulers will watch your battles and take note of the strengths that each ninja and each nation is developing.

If there is a gap in power between the countries, the strong nations are inundated with job requests for their ninja, and conversely, the request to countries deemed weak, declined. Therefore, the stronger our nation is, the better out position when it comes to negotiating with countries, so it's important to show how much military strength our village has." Minato said.

"Ok, but even so, why's it necessary for us to risk our lives?" Kiba asked.

"Heh. It makes sense doesn't it? If your life is on the line, obviously, you're fitting on the pure instinct to survive. That's what makes you fight even harder. So you're showing your true ability which can only be reached at that moment when your life is on the line." Kuragari said smirking. Kiba glared and Akamaru growled. Minato nodded in agreement.

"The young kunoichi is correct. You're fighting for your lives, and that's why it has meaning. The true strength of the shinobi can only be achieved when it's pushed to its limits, like in a life and death situation. The exam's a chance for each nation to display their strength." Minato said.

"But then why... did you use the expression friendship before?!" Tenten asked confused.

"You mustn't get the wrong idea of the exams meaning. This is a custom in which balance is preserved by fighting and dying. In the world of the Shinobi, that is friendship. The third exam is a fight for life with the pride of the village and your own dreams at stake." Minato said. Naruto grinned.

"Any test is fine. Just tell me what the details of the exam are already. I can handle anything you throw at me." Gaara said with a strong glare. Minato nodded.

"Hm... Now listen closely, I'm going to be telling you exactly what you'll be doing on the third exam." Minato said. Hayate jumped down and appeared in front of Minato, who looked at him.

"Hokage-sama, before you do, please allow me, Hayate Gekou, appointed proctor of the third exam to speak first." Hayate said.

"Very well." Minato said.

"It's nice to meet you all." Hayate coughed a bit. "There's something... I would like all of you..." He coughed a bit more. "To do before the third exam... Uhh... We have to have a preliminary exam before we can move on to... the real one..." He said. Everyone but me was shocked.

"A what?!" Ino asked shocked.

"PRELIMINARY?! JUST WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?!" Shikamaru asked shocked.

"Um... Sorry, sensei, excuse me, but I really don't see the point. What's this preliminary all about? Why can't we just move on to the next exam?" Ino asked.

"Uhh... Well... You see... The first and second exams might've been too easy... The fact is, we never expected so many of you to still be here. According to the rules of the chunnin exam, a preliminary round can be held at any stage, in order to reduce the number of candidates remaining." Hayate said.

"But... is that fair?" Ino asked.

"It's just that... at this stage we have to speed things up a bit... As lord hokage said, a lot of important guests will be watching. We can't afford to waste their time. They've come to see only the best." Hayate said. "So if there are any of you who feel you're not in top physical condition, now's your chance to..." Hayate went on one of his coughing sprees again. I sweat dropped. Talk about top physical condition…

"Sorry about that... As I was saying, if there are any of you who don't feel you're up to this, now's the time to bow out. The preliminaries will be starting immediately." Hayate said.

"COME ON! YOU MEAN RIGHT NOW?!" Kiba yelled.

"We just finished barely surviving the last exam, don't we get a break?!" Ino whined.

"Man... what a drag..." Shikamaru groaned.

"Hey... when do we eat?" Chouji asked.

"Oh yeah... uhh... the winners will be determined by one on one combat, sudden death. So like I said, if there's anyone who doesn't feel up to it, now's the time to raise your hand..." Hayate said. I was surprised when Kabuto didn't raise his hand… Things had changed… We hadn't met up after all. I doubted that he would show his true strength, but he wouldn't lose on purpose either. No one quit of course.

"Alright then, we'll now begin the preliminary rounds. These rounds will consist of one on one individual combat, at full battle intensity. This is not an exercise. There are 26 of you remaining, meaning we will have 10 matches. The surviving candidates from these 13 matches will advance to the third exam. As for the rules there are none.

You'll fight until one dies or concedes defeat or is rendered physically incapable of continuing the competition. Naturally, those who are losing are urged to concede defeat promptly to avoid a fatal outcome.

Furthermore, as proctor I'm given a certain amount of leeway in judging the matches. I might occasionally intervene if a match seems hopeless; to save as many lives as possible, now it's time to reveal what fate has been chosen for you." Hayate said looking back at Anko.

Anko nodded and turned back clicking the radio and ordered. "Open the panel." She said. The panel on the top left corner of the wall opened, showing a screen.

"The names of each pair of opponents are chosen completely at random. Before each match, these names will appear on the display behind me. As there's nothing more to say, let's begin. In a moment, the names of the first two opponents will appear." Hayate said. The screen flashed before it showed the names.

"Akado Yoroi vs Uchiha Sasuke"

Sasuke smirked.

"Alright, those whose names have been drawn, come forwards." Hayate said. Sasuke and Yoroi walked up to the front. "You have been chosen for the first match. Akado Yoroi, and Uchiha Sasuke. Are there any objections?" Hayate asked.

"None here." Sasuke said.

"No." Yoroi said.

"Ah... Alright then... Let's begin the first match." Hayate said. "Ok... Everyone other than the two opposing candidates will now clear the area and move to the upper level." Hayate said motioning to the upper levels. Everyone other than me and Naruto left. Kakashi took his time walking towards us. "HEY! KAKASHI-SENSEI!" Naruto said jumping up and down and waving. Kakashi smiled and walked to Naruto. I sighed. Everyone could hear us of course. The stadium was made to allow everything to be heard by the audience. The Uchiha head Family and Shisui, Hyuuga head Family, and Naruto's parents were there as well.

"Well. You'd better win, cockatoo head." I said using my old nickname.

"Of course." Sasuke said with a smirk at me. I grinned lightly back and walked to catch up to Naruto and Kakashi. We watched from the side, between Team Gai and Team Asuma.

Of course. Sasuke easily read Yoroi's movements with his Sharingan. With the ability to use his own jutsu, the fight was much easier… Along with the fact that we had gotten to the tower early had we all rested up he didn't need to worry at all, since Yoroi's team had come in on the very last day.

The match was over within seconds, with Yoroi unconscious and on the ground, through Sasuke's taijutsu. In the end, it was almost like the battle in the past. He had decided to use less chakra and reveal less of his abilities since these were merely the preliminary rounds.

Sasuke walked up to us looking bored. "That was easier than I thought." Sasuke said. I rolled my eyes and Naruto started bickering with Sasuke.

Sasuke's parents and his brother walked up to him. His father seemed to approve of the battle. Itachi patted his brother's head and Mikoto fussed over the small injuries and bruises he had gotten. Shisui congratulated his "little cousin" for winning the battle so quickly.

The screen brightened and showed the next two names. "Aburame Shino vs Zaku Abumi".

The battle was the same. Shino had plugged up Zaku's wind cannons, and his arms exploded from the amount of chakra that had built up within his arms. Everyone was a little freaked out about the bugs. Neji was explaining the bugs lived inside of Shino. Lee was shocked.

The screen brightened once again and showed two names. "Tsurugi Misumi vs Kankurou."

The battle was over in seconds, like before. Kankurou easily tricked Misumi with his puppet, Crow, and his himself within the bandages wrapping the mummy.

"Hey, was that fair? Two against one is hitting below the belt isn't it? I mean, is that thing even fair?" Naruto asked.

"It's not really two against one Naruto. It's a puppet, not another ninja. It's a ninja tool, like a shuriken. Besides, in real battles, there are no rules. You strike whenever you want and your opponent can do the same." I said. Naruto hummed. I sighed, knowing my battle with Ino would be next.

* * *

We took a break and I went to the washroom, washing my face. I remembered I had activated my kekei genkai was curious as to what it looked like so I allowed the chakra to flow into my eyes. They turned from green to an icy whitish-blue with a darker ring of blue around my pupil. I sensed another chakra entering and saw Hinata. She looked up. "Oh, hey Sakura." She murmured walking in and washing her face. I looked at her. She seemed quite nervous.

"You'll be fine. Even if you lose, no one expects too much of you. You might be the heir of your clan, and you might not be strong, but I think you're fit to lead." I said smiling lightly. Hinata looked up at me in surprise.

"Really? Why?" She asked.

"Because your intentions are always pure…" I said smiling. Hinata smiled lightly.

"Arigatou, Sakura-chan." Hinata said.

"No problem." I said with a smile. We walked back to our teams.

"Now let's continue. It's time to begin the fourth battle." Hayate said.

"Well, whoever's picked, it'll be two weirdos. This contest is chockfull of them." Naruto said.

"Well, you're one to talk." Kakashi said.

"Yeah, good point." Sasuke said smirking. Itachi chuckled. Mikoto laughed along with Shisui and Fugaku smirked lightly. My name and Ino's name appeared on the screen.

"Well, that was mean, Naruto." I huffed. Naruto looked up at the screen in surprise. He sweat dropped.

"Um. Except for you Sakura-chan." Naruto said, quite embarrassed. Sasuke smirked.

"Well, your pink hair is kinda weird." Sasuke said.

"Hmph. Same to you, your hair is like a cockatoo's head." I said smirking.

"Win…" Sasuke stated. I rolled my eyes and walked past him, going towards the stairs. Kuragari smirked as I passed her.

"Let's see how you handle this, Sakura." She said. I glared.

"Save it." I muttered as I walked past her.

* * *

My heart was pounding when I saw her standing before me. She had died in my arms… My best friend. My first friend… The one who had inspired me to be strong… I could barely hear the proctor speaking. The battle began before I knew it and Ino was in front of me, aiming to punch. I easily dodged on instinct.

"Come on Sakura! Attack!" Naruto yelled. I frowned.

Attack my best friend? It was hard enough to see her die in my arms… Kuragari was smirking at me. Just then, Ino managed to land a punch on me and I flew to the ground. I felt myself becoming weak again. Everyone seemed to be staring at me, seeming confused at why I wasn't fighting back.

I closed my eyes.

No.

I wasn't weak.

It was because of my past memories with her… the pain of losing her once. I was afraid of losing her again…

No. It wasn't right.

Why was I afraid of losing her again?

Why was I acting like an idiot again?

I had the strength to protect her. I had the ability to heal her. I was the one who would keep her from dying in my arms.

I had let the memories of her death get to me. If she fought in the finals, I knew she might not survive. That was why I had to end this. I would protect everyone. That was what I was here for, but first…

I stood up and spat out blood, smiling lightly. She had merely stood there while I was on the ground, not having the will in her mind to punch an opponent not willing to fight back. "Ino." I called to her. She stared at me with a strong look. I knew she was jealous of me being on Sasuke's team. "Thanks. I needed that." I said. She looked confused.

"Huh?" She asked completely confused at what I had said.

I smiled lightly and tapped my head with my hand. "I wasn't thinking right. I needed someone to knock some sense into me." I said. She growled.

"You… Why were **you **chosen to be on Sasuke's team!?" She yelled. I blinked lightly at her and wiped the blood from my mouth. "I was so devoted, and you looked like you weren't even trying! How is it that you were able to become friends so easily?! How is it… how come I feel like… compared to you… I'm so worthless?" She asked desperately with sad eyes. I stared at her in surprise and sighed.

"Well… I'm not really good at stuff like this… but you know, I think you're like a flower that just hasn't bloomed yet." I said, using the same words she had used for me. It had helped me… a lot. She looked up in surprise. "You're just a late bloomer. That's all… but when you finally do get a flower to bloom, it'll probably be really beautiful." I said with a grin.

Her expression changed to an unreadable expression before she looked angry. I raised an eyebrow and she charged at me with her fists. I blocked and dodged staring at her in surprise. "Why!? Why did you look at me with such sad eyes? I hated the look you always gave me! You always looked sad! Like I was a helpless person that needed someone to support me! I can do just fine on my own! Now you tell me I'm a flower that hasn't bloomed? I'll show you!" Ino yelled angrily. I sweat dropped.

I knew I wasn't really good at this stuff… Ino had always been the better one with words and emotions. My songs were merely made up from the emotions I felt on my own, and wanted others to feel… but with Ino, I didn't know how to fix the problem she had with me… I continued to block until Ino was panting tiredly, holding to her knees to keep herself standing.

"Why aren't you fighting back?" She asked. I looked at her.

"Well… I always thought you were mature. I'm not saying that you're under me, or weak… I just thought you looked pretty lonely… I was always nervous because you seemed like such a strong person, that you would think I was an idiot for trying to befriend you because you were able to do things on your own. Most of the other girls hated me for even talking to Sasuke, so I avoided almost everyone. I don't want to fight you over Sasuke, or over something stupid." I said. Ino looked surprised before she closed her eyes.

"You're right actually… but you know… inside, I was lonely and a little scared. Most of my friends just liked me for acting tough… but I just acted tough because I didn't want to be bullied." Ino said.

"Then… you know, we could be friends after this." I said. Ino grinned.

"After this." She confirmed. I nodded. She punched at me and I caught it with a smile. She growled. "But still! You look WAY TOO CALM!" She yelled annoyed.

"Well, I guess because if I actually fought you with the intent of ending this, I would have already ended this a few seconds after it started. You have way too many openings in your attacks." I said. She looked confused.

"What?" I asked.

"Are you serious?" She asked.

"Want to test it?" I asked. She growled.

"Yeah right!" She yelled. I jumped back and my hand glowed green with medical chakra. I touched her chest and stomach area, and she fell to the ground unconscious. Everyone was staring. Gaara had his eyes on me.

"Due to her opponent being unable to continue the match, Haruno Sakura moves on to the final rounds." Hayate said with a light cough at the end. I sighed and rolled Ino over, shaking her awake. She groaned.

"Wh-what… what happened?" She asked.

"I knocked you out using medical ninjutsu. I just sent a shock of my chakra through your system to knock you out for a few minutes." I said. She looked surprised before sighing.

"I guess… I really need to work harder." She said. I smiled.

"You know it." I said. She glared half-heartedly with a light smile. I grinned playfully. We walked up to the stands like old friends.

* * *

I was happy… Maybe the battle wasn't so long, but I had gotten back my best friend. Ino was my child hood friend… in my past life, but this time was this life. I hadn't had any contact with her in my child hood. I was a bit regretful I didn't befriend her now that I thought about it, but still. I doubted I would have been able to take the emotional stress at the time, after seeing her die in my arms. I still partially blamed myself.

"Yay. Now, I can teach you more to prepare you for your final match! And you didn't even have to show your ability either. So did you get more control over it?" Shisui asked quietly with a grin. I smirked.

"You don't even know half of it." I said smirking.

* * *

Tenten and Temari's name's showed up on the screen and we went silent, watching Tenten fight against Temari. Naruto was covering his ears from the cheering of Lee and Gai-sensei. Shikamaru said that it was over and I nodded in agreement. Naruto was totally confused. Sasuke saw it after using his Sharingan in the beginning.

We watched Tenten lose against Temari. Shikamaru won against Kin the same way he did before. The battle was exactly the same. Naruto and Kiba fought against each other and like the past. I sweat dropped when Naruto argued against fighting Akamaru.

"You know… I kind of feel bad for him… I wouldn't lower myself to kicking a puppy." I said. Sasuke snickered. Kakashi chuckled. Itachi sweat dropped and chuckled as well. Shisui laughed along with Mikoto and Fugaku merely chuckled.

I sweat dropped. We watched as Naruto was beaten up slowly, but Kiba lost in the end, due to Naruto's farting. "Soooo… who thought he was out of gas…?" I asked. Everyone sweat dropped and some laughed a little. Naruto blinked at Kiba and used his "new technique", an alteration of Sasuke's lion's barrage.

Naruto came up and Hinata offered him some ointment. I sweat dropped when she started to get nervous and stutter. Kurenai helped her out by telling Naruto to take it. Naruto was also blushing and scratching the back of his head, thanking her I could tell by the look in her eye she knew Hinata liked Naruto. Of course, with her own relationship with Asuma, she had experience. I noticed Neji giving her a look and I worried a little bit for her. Her father and mother were there along with her younger sister, Hanabi.

The next battle… would be especially hard for Hinata. She was talking to Kiba about giving him healing ointment as Neji's and Hinata's names showed up on the screen. I winced slightly.

"This… is as bad as it can get… for Hinata…" I murmured lightly.

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked curiously.

"Watch. They're about to start…" I murmured.

Neji and Hinata had their conversation about their blood. Neji looked angry. I knew he hated the fact that the seal on his forehead would respond to Hinata's will.

"They're… brother and sister?" Sasuke asked in shock.

"Not really. They live together, since Neji's father passed away. Technically, they're cousins." I said.

"Isn't that kind of hard for them to fight each other seriously?" Sasuke asked.

"Well… Hinata's told me some stories about a family feud in the clan… So… this fight is more of the representation of the family feud, since Neji is from the branch family and Hinata is from the main family… Unfortunately, since Neji has had more training and more experience, Hinata is at a disadvantage…" I said.

We watched as the battle raged. I winced when Hinata coughed out blood, seeing her continue to try even when she was unable to use her chakra… I smiled lightly when she continued to fight. She collapsed, but tried to get up. Naruto continued to cheer her on.

Hayate tried to stop the match, but Naruto refused to allow him to. Everyone but me was surprised when Hinata got up. Neji growled. His speech started. Hinata's parents looked surprised when Hinata responded the way she did, saying how knew he was suffering. Neji growled, rushing to attack her. The jounnin rushed in.

* * *

I saw Hinata collapse and jumped over the bar, appearing by her side in an instant. I helped her lay down. "Hinata." I called. She looked at me in surprise. I smiled. "You did well… Just rest." I said numbing her body with my medical chakra. My hands growled green, running over her chest. The jounnin watched. Kurenai looked surprised. I managed to stall her cardiac arrest from coming up too quickly.

"She'll be fine for a little while, I've managed to repair some of the damage but she should get to the hospital to be treated properly… She'll take a while to heal to get back to good condition…" I informed Kurenai, who nodded thankfully. "…and where the hell are the medics?!" I yelled a little annoyed and irritated. Man, they were slow compared to the past. Naruto had jumped down and come to my side to check on Hinata, looking worried.

"We're coming!" A group of medical ninja came to take Hinata away. They checked her condition.

"Her pulse is quite weak…" The medic said. "We should get her to the emergency room right away. She may lose her pulse soon."

They left and I sighed. "Hopefully, I've repaired enough of her internal injuries to help her out." I said to Kurenai.

* * *

I jumped up to the stands again and smiled lightly in thanks to Fugaku. "Those books really did help out a lot. I managed to learn a lot from them." I said smiling. Fugaku nodded.

"It's no problem." Fugaku said.

Then Gaara and Lee's battle started. I already knew all about Lee's ability. Naruto and Sasuke were shocked at Lee's ability. Everyone was staring and watching in shock. His speed was incredible. I still hadn't attained his speed when he opened the 5 gates of course, but I would be able since I had finally awakened my own kekei genkai. Weights would come first though…

Lee was finished when he had used the Hidden Lotus in the 5th gate. I could feel his pain. "His muscles are tearing themselves apart from the strain… If this doesn't work… It'll be over for Lee." I said softly.

"Come on LEE!" Naruto cheered. Gaara's gourd turned itself into sand and I watched as Lee's Hidden Lotus did its damage to both Gaara and Lee. Gaara survived the hit, and used his sand to capture Lee's arm and leg. He used the sand Coffin, and I shut my eyes, knowing what was happening…

Gai protected Lee when Gaara when in for the kill. Gai said Lee was precious to him and I gritted my teeth and shut my eyes when Lee got up. "Kakashi-sensei…" I murmured. He nodded to me, allowing me to head to Lee's side. Gai set him down and I put my right hand over Lee's head, glowing green with medical chakra and my left hand ran over his body scanning it.

Like the past, his body was severely damaged. I wouldn't be able to do the surgery alone… Tsunade and Shizune had to be around. I had reached a level close to Tsunade's… but it wasn't enough. I still hadn't learned to create the seals she used in her own medical ninjutsu… The medical ninja came forwards. Naruto rushed over to my side and Kakashi came as well.

"How is he?" Gai asked.

"His arm and leg were crushed... quite badly… His body is suffering massive damage… He's still alive…" I said softly. The medics checked over his body and looked to me, nodding in agreement. "…but his fighting days are over…" I stopped. She wasn't here. Not yet. I didn't want to give Gai hope only to have it taken away, if she decided not to come to the village... Gai stared at Lee hopelessly. I went back up to the side, standing with the other teams.

Sasuke looked at me. "Are you serious…? He's not going to fight again?" Sasuke asked in shock. I looked at Lee and shut my eyes.

_"Not unless Tsunade can help him…"_ I thought to myself.

Naruto was shouting sadly and Kakashi managed to get him under control. Gai turned away sadly and they walked up. The screen brightened and showed the next two names. I was surprised to see that is was a male from Kuragari's team named Jun (obedient), and Dosu from the Sound team that had attacked us in my past life. Orochimaru was still around, eyeing Kuragari and I… along with Sasuke…

I wondered what in the world was going through Kuragari's head? I knew she disliked me for being in control in our past life… that was obvious... but what was she planning? I wondered if I would have even noticed her if it weren't for the sake of the 2nd part of the exam…?

Dosu won like in my past. His ability was stronger and more complex than the others… but I wondered just what was under those bandages? Had Orochimaru experimented on him so much that only his eye still remained looking normal?

Then the next set of ninja came up. The screen showed two names, "Kuragari vs Chouji". I narrowed my eyes. Kuragari… What would she do to Chouji? I hadn't seen half any of her abilities. I knew she knew what I knew, but did she have any new abilities? I watched as Kuragari easily dodged Chouji and let him get stuck in the wall. She pulled out a tuning fork and pulled out a kunai knife tapping it, before sticking the tuning fork into Chouji. The vibrations sounded throughout the whole room and we all covered our ears at the loud noise. Chouji found himself back in normal size, completely dizzy from the vibrations. He lost, but Team Asuma was going to go out for Barbeque anyways. I knew that.

The last match was between Kabuto and the other sound ninja on Kuragari's team named Noburu (ascend). Kabuto won easily, by merely using his medical chakra and thrusting his palm into Noburu's chest, when Noburu let off his guard like I had with Ino. I'd been surprised he'd actually fought to win.

* * *

Finally, the preliminaries were over… "And with that match, the third exam preliminaries are now finished." Hayate said. "I commend all those who have advanced to the finals for the third level of the chunnin exams. Congratulations."

Team 7 was the only full team from the Leaf Village that had made it to the final rounds. The fact that we were rookies was surprising to the other jounnin as well. Most of the jounnin were looking pretty curiously at Kakashi, wondering what kind of training he put us through. There were 7 gennin from the Leaf, if you included Kabuto, 3 from the sand village, and 2 from the sound…

* * *

"And now, I'll give you the explanation of the final rounds. In the final rounds, you'll all put your skills on display, you'll demonstrate the power and control that you've achieved in your respective disciplines. The final battles will commence one month from now." Minato said.

"Wait we're not gonna do it here and now?" Naruto asked.

"It's to provide a suitable period of preparation." Minato said.

"What do you mean by that?" Neji asked. Minato smiled.

"Simply this, in addition to announcing the conclusion of the preliminary matches to each country's leaders, we must also have some time to prepare and distribute the summons for the final selection. To know your adversaries and prepare yourselves, you need time. Even though up to this point, all the battles have been real battles, and they were conducted on the premise that you were fighting an unknown enemy, but that's no longer the case now that you've battled each other." I knew many were glancing at Gaara. "So in order to make the finals fair and just, we're giving you this month. Each of you must embrace the opportunity to practice art and learn some new tricks, because by now, everyone here knows your techniques, so using your old tricks is a sure way to lose in the finals, and remember to get some rest as well." Minato said.

I saw Naruto glance at Sasuke, Gaara, Neji, and then at me. Then he had a determined look in his eye. I smirked. Sasuke smirked as well. "Now with that all behind us, I'd like to begin winding things up but before we can bring this to an end, first there is one more thing to take care of for the final rounds." Minato said.

"Let's get on with it! I mean come on! How long do we have to- Ow!" Naruto was cut off when I punched his head twitching.

"Patience is one thing you'll never have when it comes to training… Shut up before I punch you even harder." I muttered under my breath annoyed. Kakashi chuckled. Naruto's parents were laughing lightly. Fugaku was smirking, Mikoto and Shisui were laughing and Itachi was chuckling. Sasuke only shook his head and sighed. Naruto held his head in pain. The hokage chuckled. Anko grinned.

"In a calm orderly fashion all of you are going to take one slip of paper from the box that Anko is holding." Minato said chuckling. Anko smiled.

"Everyone just stay where you are, I'll come to you." Anko said walking up to Dosu. "Just take one." Anko said holding the box. We all got a slip of paper. I took one and got the number 3.

"Good, now everyone has one. Going from left to right, tell me the number that's written on your slip of paper…" Ibiki said.

"I've got eight." Dosu said.

"Eleven." Kuragari said lightly.

"Number one of course." Naruto said.

"Seven." Sasuke said.

"Three." I said.

"Nine…" Shikamaru said.

"Two." Neji said.

"Six." Shino said.

"Twelve." Kabuto said.

"Ten." Temari said.

"Five." Kankurou said.

"Four." Gaara said.

Great. So there were some changes… and… I was up against the Gaara who was still out for blood… Sometimes I just hated my luck. "Very good, now I'm going to tell you about how the final selection tournament is going to work." Minato said.

"Heh?!" Naruto yelped in surprise and shock.

"Is that what the numbers were for? Drawing lots?" Shikamaru asked.

"Ibiki, you may reveal which ninja have been paired up." Minato said.

Round 1: Naruto vs Neji  
Round 2: Sakura vs Gaara  
Round 3: Kankurou vs Shino  
Round 4: Sasuke vs Dosu  
Round 5: Kuragari vs Kabuto  
Round 6: Shikamaru vs Temari

I sighed in annoyance. Man. I'd seriously have to train… a lot. I saw Naruto glare at Neji and determination. Sasuke was looking at Dosu with a smirk.

"May I ask you a question?" Shikamaru asked turning to the hokage.

"You may…" Minato said.

"Alright. If this is a tournament, does that mean there's only going to be one winner? I mean… Only one of us gets to become a chunnin?" Shikamaru asked.

"Actually it's quite the contrary. There are going to be several judges for the final rounds, including myself, the shinobi leaders, and the Kazekage, the lords from the country's that will be ultimately assigning your missions to you. Through this tournament, the judges will be able to make a thorough evaluation of your abilities. They will then decide whether any or all of you possess the abilities required of a chunnin. Even if someone loses the first round, they could still become a chunnin." Minato said.

"So there's actually a chance that every one of us, who competes in the final selection could become chunnin..." Temari said. Minato nodded.

"Yeah… but that also means there's the chance the no one will become a chunnin as well…" I said crossing my arms in front of me, sighing in annoyance. The hokage nodded in agreement.

"The advantage in fighting more rounds at the tournament is in getting more chances to display your talents in front of the judges who will decide your fate. Does that answer your question, Shikamaru?" Minato asked. Shikamaru sighed and nodded.

"Well then. I thank you all for your patience. Now let us adjourn until next month." The hokage said. We all nodded and the others left the tower.

* * *

Naruto's and Sasuke's parents along with Shisui and Itachi came to greet us. "You did well, my son." Fugaku said patting Sasuke's head. Sasuke looked extremely proud. Naruto was grinning happily when Minato patted his head and Kushina congratulated him.

"Ok you three. I want you all to meet at the usual place tomorrow at the usual time. I'll have some teachers ready for you." Kakashi said with a smile.

"Fortunately, you don't have to find a teacher for Saku-hime." Shisui said, speaking up and patting my head.

"Huh? Who's your teacher, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

"It's Shisui." I deadpanned. Everyone sweat dropped when Naruto stared and nodded slowly in understanding.

"Well, that certainly makes my job much easier. I'll just have to find a teacher for Naruto then." Kakashi said seeming thankful.

"Wait. What about Sasuke? Ahah! You're going to be teaching Sasuke aren't you!" Naruto yelled.

"Wait, Kakashi. I have just the person in mind actually… but we just have to find him first. I don't think Kushina would mind training Naruto for a short while." Minato said. Kushina grinned and Naruto sweat dropped.

"Oh. Then I guess I don't have to worry. But I want you three all to meet up with me in the morning tomorrow anyways. I have some news for you all." Kakashi said.

"Uh huh…. And you will be at least 2 hours late… So the usual time is actually around 8:00 in the morning." I said with a dull look. Kakashi chuckled and sweat dropped while Sasuke smirked and Naruto grinned.

"Well anyways, let's head home. I want a nice and long nap!" Naruto whined. Kushina laughed lightly.

"Ok. Oh and Sakura, same time same place." Shisui said.

"Right." I said nodding. Naruto and Sasuke looked at the two of us before shrugging at each other.

* * *

– Sakura's P.O.V. – (Konoha Village)

I went to visit the hospital first to see Hinata. She was lying in bed, conscious, but she looked like she was in a little pain. The nurse that had escorted me told me I could stay until visiting hours were over.

"How are you doing? Does anything still hurt?" I asked curiously.

"A little. Just around my chest area." She murmured. I put my hands over her chest and repaired some of the tissues that had been damaged by Neji's hits, enough so that they could heal properly on their own and she wouldn't have trouble during the final rounds.

"Better?" I asked.

"A lot." She said smiling.

I heard the door open. "Oh. Sakura?" Kurenai looked surprised to see me. Kiba and Shino were there too. Kiba had some flowers in his hands with bandages wrapped around his forehead from his battle with Naruto.

"Hi. I just came by to visit Hinata… Then I'll probably have to go find myself a teacher for the exams. Well… I kind of already do have a teacher other than Kakashi for the exams since I know he's probably thinking of training Sasuke." I said tapping my chin and thinking of Shisui. Hopefully he wouldn't be busy.

"You're kind of screwed for the exams if you don't find a good teacher." Kiba said.

"I know. Don't worry about me though." I said.

"Who are you fighting?" Hinata asked.

"She's fighting the Sand Village guy… The red head… That fight, was scary." Kiba said.

"Well. Try not to freak her out with the details. I'm going to go and visit Lee before I head out to find that teacher of mine." I said smiling lightly.

"Thanks Sakura." Hinata called.

"No problem. Hope you feel better!" I said before I left. I went to Lee's room and he was still unconscious of course. I could only go in for five minutes.

"Hey Lee. I'm up against the guy you fought. The Sand guy... So any advice?" I asked lightly with a smile. Silence answered. I felt the presence of Gai's team outside. They probably were asked by the nurse to wait. I knew they could probably hear me. I sighed.

"Well… I hope you feel better… I've been working on medical ninjutsu… It's a little complicated… but maybe if I get good enough, I can help you out… I swear, I'll find a way to help make you a ninja again. You can count on it... and I'll avenge you and beat the crap out of Gaara. Don't you worry about that… I wish you all the luck you can get. It will help you in the long run. Maybe I'll come by some other time with some flowers to brighten up your room. I hope you'll wake up soon." I said with a smile. I stood up. "It's time for me to go. Bye Lee." I said.

I came out of the room and Tenten was looking down with bandages covering her arms and . Neji was also looking a little bitter and sad. Gai was not quite as energetic.

"Thank you for visiting him." Gai said.

"It's no problem." I said softly. Gai and his team went inside.

I left the hospital and went back home to be greeted by Yuki jumping into my face. I laughed and caught her. "Hey Yuki. Sorry I was gone for so long." I said patting her head in my arms. She mewled in happiness and I went in to be greeted by hugs from my cousins. I told them about the exams and they freaked out when they learned what had happened to the victim of the opponent I would face.

"Make sure you forfeit before anything gets too serious, Sakura." Akane said seriously.

"Ok ok. Don't worry. I know the jounnin will probably jump in before anything too serious happens. Besides, you know the life of a ninja is always dangerous." I said.

"I know… but I just want you to be careful. We're writing a letter to home, to let your parents know." Akane said.

"Yeah. I got it. I'll probably be training quite often after today, for the whole month, so take care of the house and all. Yuki too of course." I said giving her a short belly rub.

"By the way, Fugaku's arranged a concert on the night before your chunnin exam. Shisui probably knows already, so he'll probably let you off for a few days to practice for the concert." Akane said. I nodded.

"Thanks for the heads up." I said.

* * *

That night, I headed towards the training rooms and waited for Shisui. He appeared and grinned at me. I was surprised to see someone beside him. "Itachi-san?" I asked surprised. He seemed to look at me with a soft look.

"Your battle is far more dangerous than Sasuke's battle. I decided to help Shisui out with your training." Itachi said.

"Really?" I asked in surprise.

"Don't be so happy about that. Itachi's a slave driver." Shisui murmured into my ear, loud enough so Itachi could hear. I laughed a little when Itachi, who looked a little annoyed, threw a kunai at Shisui, who dodged, as usual. "I've told Itachi everything I know about your power so far. So what else have you found out about your power?" He asked curiously.

"Well. My blade somehow allows me to utilize ice elemental attacks. Anything the blade touches will turn to ice if I call on the name. Right now, it's just a normal blade… Well. A normal blade that doesn't have any special attacks, that is…" I said.

"What do you mean, name?" Shisui asked curiously.

"Well. I've had dreams about a dragon whenever I sleep with the sword in my hands. I found out that the dragon is… um… the blade's consciousness. His name is Hyourinmaru. His awakened form is different." I said.

"Show us." Itachi ordered. I nodded and pulled out my blade.

"Sit upon the frozen heavens… Hyourinmaru." I called.

The blade glowed and the silver chain appeared at the end of the hilt with the cresent blade on the other end. The cresent blade touched the ground and the area that it touched turned to ice, glittering under the moon-lit sky. Itachi smirked and nodded.

"Woah. And you say you got this blade from where?" Shisui asked.

"My father gave it to me. Apparently someone who thought of him as a son gave it to him, and so he passed it on to me when I decided to become a ninja." I said.

"Your father must have been related to that man in some way then." Itachi said. I shrugged.

"Well… This is interesting. You have a second blade like this one correct?" Shisui asked.

"Yes. But I haven't felt anything from it yet." I said. Shisui hummed. Itachi looked like he was thinking. Then Itachi spoke.

"Well. Since you've learned the name of this blade, it might be possible for you now since this blade's power is not so focused on you trying to learn its name. Tomorrow, bring both of your blades in the morning. We will begin training right away after your team meeting." Itachi said.

Shisui and I looked at each other, before looking at Itachi with a blank stare. Itachi twitched in slight annoyance. "Also, I've brought this special chakra paper for you. You'll need to learn some new ninjutsu to fight Gaara." Itachi said giving me the chakra paper. I knew it was to find my element.

"So… I just push chakra into it?" I asked.

"Yup." Shisui said.

I knew the result, having done so in the past after I entered the academy in this life, but I didn't want to tell them I'd already done so before, so I just did it in front of them. We watched as the paper turned wet, and suddenly split in half.

"Hm. It seems you have an elemental kekei genkai. Your water elemental chakra is stronger, but there is wind chakra there as well. You're lucky that Shisui's secondary element is wind and my secondary element is water. We'll both train you for the exams together so you can utilize both elements in combat, both separately, and also use them combined, to create the ice element release. Have you found out anything else about your abilities?" Itachi said.

"Well… I have a kekei genkai." I said.

"Seriously? This is awesome!" Shisui said grinning.

"And what is its ability?" Itachi asked.

"So far, I found that I can see things much slower than they actually are in real life… and I can move at the same speed even though everything is slow, so I'm much faster in real life, but my speed isn't even close to Lee's normal speed without his weights. I could probably keep up with him with my kekei genkai on if he had his weights. I can also manipulate water." I said.

"Manipulate water?" Itachi asked curiously.

"Yeah. I found out when I was much younger. It was a little after you left the island. I've gotten a lot better at it, now that I can control my chakra… Like this." I said. I drew the moisture out of the air and the water gathered as an orb of water in my hands. It didn't take much chakra. I merely needed to summon the water by concentrating my own chakra in my hands slightly to control the water.

I pushed my hands together to hold it and it became ice. Then I turned it back to water. Then I formed it into a kunai and then shattered it into sparkles of ice dust.

"Way cool! I always wanted to copy manipulation techniques!" Shisui said excitedly.

"I see. Shisui. You'll be working on her speed, wind elemental jutsu training, taijutsu, and working with her sword techniques…" Itachi said. "I'll work on improving her stamina, water elemental jutsu training, water manipulation, genjutsu, and evasion."

"Shisui will train you for one day, I'll train you for the next, and then we'll both train you together on the third day. When we both train you, we'll be working on all your abilities, including your ice elemental attacks. The cycle will repeat." Itachi said. I nodded.

"There are few missions given out since the chunnin exams are happening at the moment, but we may be pulled out on missions being Anbu so you'll have to work on the techniques on yourself. You will be notified. Training starts at 8:00 in the morning every day and end at 11:00 at night." Itachi said.

"Right." I nodded.

"Good. Now, we'll start some of your training right off the bat. Since you have your blade awakened, I want you to spar with Shisui. Try to bring him down." Itachi said. I nodded.

"Why am I the guinea pig?! Sakura, heal me after!" Shisui whined. I laughed and nodded.

"Ok, sempai." I said laughing lightly.

"Also, you're to call me Itachi. Nothing else." Itachi said.

"Hai, Itachi." I said. Itachi nodded. I turned to Shisui.

"Ready sempai?" I asked.

"Give it all you got!" Shisui said. I nodded and attacked with my fastest speed without the kekei genkai, that was about half of Lee's speed with his weights on. I was slightly faster than Sasuke's average speed at the moment, but not a lot. I could feel the icy feeling charging through me again and I pushed chakra into the blade, swinging it down. An icy dragon flew from the tip of the blade at Shisui.

Shisui moved away but the dragon followed. Shisui flickered out of the way last second when he backed up in front of a tree, and the dragon crashed into the tree. Ice spikes sprang out of the place the dragon had crashed into.

"Wow… Scary." Shisui said staring at the poor tree a little freaked out.

"Um…" I sweat dropped.

"Did you force it to follow me?" Shisui asked.

"_Part of my consciousness can come out of the blade, and create the water dragon you sent out. My power uses water and ice, and so I'm able to form as both a solid ice dragon and a liquid water dragon."_ Hyourinmaru's voice echoed in my mind. Somehow, I wasn't surprised.

"No. That was Hyourinmaru. Apparently, part of his consciousness can leave the blade and create the dragon. They can be liquid or solid, but I think that depends on me and the chakra I put into the attack, I think. I can't usually do it at will. I feel like I have to be completely in sync with Hyourinmaru to do it at will... More training and getting used to using the attacks would probably at some time in the future, get me to the point where when I touch the blade and awaken him, he'd be in sync with me from the start." I said.

"Wait. How'd you know that about his consciousness?" Shisui asked.

"Well. He can talk to me through the blade, but I have to learn most things on my own if it's to be more affective." I said.

"Hm… That's interesting. Keep sparing until you reach your limit." Itachi said. I nodded. It wasn't long before the whole room was practically frozen and I had reached my limit with my chakra reserves. "You'll need to learn to meditate properly to regain your lost energy. You may also be able to connect with your blade as well in that way, but do that when training. Come." Itachi said.

* * *

Shisui and I sweat dropped as we got out of the training room and followed Itachi to the training grounds. I sheathed Hyorinmaru and he turned back to a normal blade.

"Now. Sit, close your eyes, steady your breathing, and calm your heart." He said. He didn't speak until I had done as he had said. It was… relaxing… Almost as if I was sleeping. "Now relax every muscle. Don't use any part of your body… and breathe..." I could feel the calm quietness seem to flow around me. "Now feel the air on your skin… allow your energy to flow freely… Feel the energy around you and the energy within yourself… Let them become one." Itachi said. I felt like I was asleep, almost.

"Open your eyes." Itachi said.

I opened them. I was surprised that just a little bit of meditation gave me so much refreshment… It was much better than just sleep.

I hadn't regained a lot of chakra, but I gained a lot more than if I just rested without sleeping. I had never really learned to meditate properly in my past life.

"Wow." I murmured in surprise.

"Now. Do that when you have a break. Shisui and I will give you a few minutes to meditate and break between training on different focuses. Also, I think you probably don't want to let Sasuke know that I'm training you. Shisui will pick you up tomorrow morning and start his training right away. It's time you went home." Itachi said.

"Alright." I said.

"We'll walk you home, Saku-hime-chan! It's not very gentlemanly if we let you walk home alone." Shisui said. He came up with all kinds of nicknames for me. I sweat dropped.

"You're no gentleman, Shisui. Sakura, please excuse my pedophile of a cousin." Itachi said. I laughed a little at Shisui's and Itachi's antics. Really, they were just like Sasuke and Naruto, except a much funnier and more amusing. They never got too serious about their fights. Sasuke's and Naruto's fight were way too serious.

I headed home and told my cousins that I'd be training with Shisui and Itachi. Akane knowing Itachi was one of the best ninja was quite relieved. I asked them not to tell anyone and they agreed.

* * *

The next morning, I went to the bridge early anyways, and met up with Sasuke and Naruto. Kakashi showed up late, as usual. Naruto greeted him with a "HEY! YOU'RE LATE!" and I laughed waving at him a little. He jumped down after giving his excuse.

"Ok. I'm proud of every single one of you. Train hard this month. I want you to work as hard as you can. After three weeks though, I want you all to meet back here at the usual time." Kakashi said.

"Right!" Naruto said.

"We won't let you down." I said smiling.

"See you guys in three weeks." Sasuke said smirking.

We parted ways and I knew…

After three weeks…

We would all have gotten stronger…

* * *

WOW. I didn't even plan like… half of the stuff that happened in this chapter. Hope you liked it!

Coming up next… Chapter Nine: To Meet Old Mentors…

SasuLovesSaku4Ever: I'm happy, relaxed, and totally hyper… Wait. That makes no sense…

Sakura: …

Shisui: …

Itachi: ...

SasuLoveSaku4Ever: What? Why are you guys all silent? Did I say something?

SakuShisui: …ITACHI IS A SLAVE DRIVER… O.O

Itachi: Shisui will be the guinea pig for our next training session.

Shisui: Why can't you be the guinea pig for once!

Itachi: -evil stare-

SakuShisui: -sweat drop- …Forget he (I) said that…

SasuLovesSaku4Ever: Um. Itachi. Can you please stop trying to scare the crap out of Shisui and Sakura with your evil stare? I'll set you up with Akane on a date in the next chapter. How about that?

Itachi: … Hn… -looks away-

SasuLovesSaku4Ever: Maybe I'll even add in a kiss… Either way, Sasusaku won't be getting any action too soon since sakura's training is under way… Or maybe they will… Hm… Oh, Gaara? Do you want to pop up somewhere randomly like you did in Sasuke's training time?

Gaara: … I don't care.

SasuLovesSaku4Ever: That would be interesting. Especially with Shisui and Itachi… Hm. Or I could just have Itachi on the scene. Shisui would just… totally break down the tension… I would have no idea how Gaara would react…

Shisui: AWW! WHY?!

Itachi: That's exactly why. –throws kunai at Shisui- 

Shisui: -gets cut on the cheek on purpose- NUUU! I'M BLEEEDING! HEAL ME SAKU-CHAN!

Itachi: That is pathetic, Shisui…

Sakura: Hehe. Sempai, it's just a little cut. I'll heal it anyways though.

Shisui: Hmph… You should see him when we're training for real. He's… relentless… He tried to kill me sooo many times!

Sakura: …Wow... You Anbu have no qualms about hurting each other do you?

ItaShisui: ... No.

Sakura: …

SasuLovesSaku4Ever: Ahem! Ok… Well. I'll see you people next time! Stay tuned!


	10. Chapter 9: To Meet Old Mentors

Here's your next chapter!

Responses to Reviews, you know the drill! BTW. To anyone who mistook that I was going to put a GaaSaku moment in, I wasn't, but I decided not to do the encounter with Gaara since Sakura is different from Sasuke, he's just interested in her power and ability.

For now, there's not much action… My my, some of you are such great guessers at what I'm going to do in my story! Am I making things too obvious? Hm… And there seem to be less reviewers… should I wait longer? Oh.. but schools starting… I won't be able to update with my work load… I kinda regret trying to suicide this year by taking all academic courses except for Phys. Ed…

Well… We shall see if I have time to update or not… DON'T EXPECT AN UPDATE FOR A LONG WHILE!

**Twisted Masalih: Thanks! Please continue to review! It helps a lot!**

**LoverForAnime: Well, Snake-man is still trying to destroy the village, whether or not he has Sasuke… Hopefully, I can update soon… but unfortunately I can't make any promises.**

**SasukeXSakuraLov: Hehe. Don't worry. I liked the rant actually. LOL. Wait… When did Shikamaru yell…? O.O I like the dramatic Shisui. He shall be popping up much more in this chapter… I think… Well. I decided not to do the encounter anyways. No. I don't actually like the GaaSaku couple (sorry to all those GaaSaku fans who are reading this). I am loyal to my name LOL, thank-you very much. I totally agree with you. SasuSaku ALWAYS FIRST. As for my next update… unfortunately, I will probably look like I'm on hiatus since I'm entering one of the more important years in my schooling this year… Sooo, unfortunately, the next update will be… sometime between now, and winter vaction… sadly.**

**KisaBlack: Thanks for the review, even when you're at college! You are awesome! Please continue to keep an eye out for my next update, even though I probably won't update soon since school is starting… My teachers are going to try and bury me with work this year…**

**Sakura'sGhettoInner: Thanks! Glad you loved the chapter. Unfortunately, I won't update too soon after this, because of school and all. Parents are going to keep an eye on homework and school… and all… I won't be able to slack off… Next update sometime between now and… winter vaction…**

**Jasmine-.-Momo-chan: Hehe. Thanks. Yeah, I'm doing better now. I'm glad you could tell. Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't like the fact he died, but I liked the memory he remembered of Itachi and him. That moment was one of the best moments I found between the two of them. I mean, you don't see much of a relationship between two Akatsuki partners, so it was interesting to see the both of them meeting each other for the first time… and OMG. You… you are psychic… WHY?! Lol. You guessed… A lot… and a lot… was correct… I decided not to put the encounter. Lol. Why did everyone think I was putting in a GaaSaku moment…? But I enjoy making Sasuke jelly (jealous) so, I will make Shisui tease him… Later on… and also, if you recognize the difference gap between the third's and fourth's powers, it's pretty big… After all, he has space-time ninjutsu… so he could easily escape the barrier. Also, unfortunately, I won't be updating too soon after this chapter. –sad face– school's starting soon and my parents are keeping an eye on our "computer time" because of my lil' bro's bad habits, so I won't be updating anytime soon after this… Please keep an eye out for my next update though. Thanks.**

**crazy reader 241: Thanks. Please keep reviewing and following this story. I won't be updating soon after this, but I will try my best.**

**Yuyui: Hehe. Thanks. I will continue of course. Please keep reviewing! Unfortunately, I won't update anytime soon after this since school is starting and my work load will pretty much triple from last year's… but please keep an eye out for my next update! Thanks for reviewing!**

Now then, here's your next chapter.

-SasuLovesSaku4Ever

* * *

Legend:

"_Thought"  
_"Speech"_  
__"Spirit/God/Goddess/Any spiritual-like being"__**  
"Demon/Tailed Beast"  
**_**"Emphasis"  
**Japanese name/catchword (Translation)

– Point of View P.O.V. – (Place)  
Chapter Number: Chapter Title

* * *

Chapter Nine: To Meet Old Mentors…

– Sakura's P.O.V. – (Konoha Village)

On the first day of training, after the team meeting, Shisui gave me weights. I took them and stared at him. I was barely able to lift my hands while holding them. Shisui sweat dropped.

"Sorry. Itachi's idea… I told you he's a slave driver. After every day of training with him, you'll be half dead by the time you get home." Shisui said.

"Are you serious…?" I asked.

"Yup." Shisui said nodding.

We walked to the training rooms and I got used to walking with the weights after a while. Shisui taught me to separate my wind chakra from my water elemental chakra. It was a little harder for me, because his chakras were so different, and they had different feels. Fire chakra was hot, and alive. It felt like an angry feeling. Wind chakra flowed and cut. Water chakra also flowed but it pushed. Both chakras were cool, but the way they moved was different.

I had managed to figure it out by noon, training in the water room with Shisui. After that, he improved my Taijutsu. Unlike Lee's style, his taijutsu was made for allowing himself to dodge and react to seeing unguarded movements. It was perfect for my speed and kekei genkai. He taught me the "Shunshin no jutsu(Body Flicker Technique)" as well. I knew he was the fastest within his clan, known as "Shunshin no Shisui (Body Flicker Shisui)" because it was his specialty. I learned to use it like Haku had, disappearing into thin air, using the Shunshin with wind chakra to create a tornado and disappear.

We ate lunch out at the dango shop and I wasn't surprised to see Anko there as well. "Well well. Lookie here… It's the girl from Kakashi's team… and Uchiha Shisui. Are you two training together?" Anko asked, chewing some dango.

"Yeah. She's in for some torture tomorrow." Shisui said with a grin.

"Don't remind me." I groaned in annoyance. Anko laughed lightly.

We ate lunch and left, flickering out of the store, leaving the bill and money on the table. We reappeared at the training rooms and Shisui approved at my improvement at the jutsu. He continued on Taijutsu, teaching me some of Lee's style as well, the movements that would allow me to dodge attacks and evade if anything came at me. Then we started with my blades. I trained with Hyourinmaru first. I found that I could send out the dragon using just one hand on the blade but my strikes were much weaker. I could still use the power as well. I believed that in his normal form it was better I used him as a double handed blade but when I needed to I could use a single hand.

Then after I ran out of chakra, I meditated with the sheathed blade in my lap.

* * *

– Sakura's P.O.V. – (?)

I closed my eyes and found myself in a winter ice land… Almost like the Land of Snow… but there was nothing but ice around… Everywhere, there was all ice. The sky was a pure white sky and the sun was glowing behind the snow clouds.

"So you've finally managed to connect with me." Hyourinmaru's dragon form said.

"What happened?" I asked.

"We're now within the dimension of the blade… At least, your mind is within the dimension of the blade. My dimension. Time in your realm has stopped. I can teach you a little bit about what I am." Hyourinmaru said.

"Hm." I hummed a little confused.

"I am a soul blade, a 'Zanpaktou'." The dragon said. "I came from the heart of one of your people." Hyourinmaru said.

"The heart?" I asked.

"Yes. My original master was a mere child… He had quite the cold personality, but was always loyal to his friends. His wish to protect them and fight was the reason I was born. He was quite the prodigy… That other blade you carry is also a Zanpaktou and it is reaching out to you. I am sure that if you were to take hold of it, you would feel the call. When you learn to use my power at will, connect with me and I will teach you of the second form. Your meditation with me will help you learn to use that attack at will." Hyourinmaru said.

Suddenly, everything disappeared and turned black.

* * *

– Sakura's P.O.V. – (Konoha Village)

I found myself meditating once again, but my energy felt much more connected to Hyourimaru.

I opened my eyes and stared at Hyourinmaru in his blade form.

"Done?" Shisui asked.

"Oh. Yeah." I said looking at Hyourinmaru in surprise.

"What?" Shisui asked. I decided to tell him about what Hyourinmaru had said and what had happened. Shisui seemed to nod in understanding. "Alright. Focus on trying to master that attack then. Once you have the attack down and can do it at will in perfect sync with him, you'll meditate with him." Shisui said. I nodded.

I took the blade and battled with Shisui once again. It was a bit hard to use the chain. Shisui had no experience with flailing long ranged weapons that were stringy and told me Itachi would teach me.

"Alright. Now let's train you using that single handed blade." Shisui said. I nodded and pulled out the other blade. A cold feeling rushed through my veins… but it wasn't the same as Hyourinmaru's. It had a much lighter and graceful feeling. Hyourinmaru's icy power seemed to be more powerful.

After I trained with Shisui using the other Zanpaktou, I went home that night and decided to meditate with the single handed blade in my hands.

* * *

– Sakura's P.O.V. – (?)

I found myself in a garden area covered in snow… It was beautiful. Everything was frozen. The grass, the flowers, and the trees… An elegant figure stood by the tree and waved to me. I walked forwards and found myself staring at a beautiful lady with long silver-white hair wearing a dancing Kimono. She seemed to perfectly fit the scene.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" She asked.

"Hai." I said with a smile.

"The snow that freezes everything has finally stopped falling…" She said looking up at the sky. We both stood by the tree and admired the beauty. She looked too me.

"So what is your name?" She asked.

"I am Haruno Sakura." I said.

"Spring Cherry Blossom… It is a fitting name. Your hair fits you well along with your eyes. My name is Sode no Shiraiyuki (Sleeve of White Snow). Pleased to meet you." She said. I smiled

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well." I said.

"I will dance as your blade and the snow will bend to your will. Ask for me to dance with you, and I will dance." She said smiling. I nodded and everything seemed to disappear.

* * *

– Sakura's P.O.V. – (Konoha Village)

I opened my eyes and looked at the blade with a soft smile. These Zanpaktou were so different, but they were seemingly loyal…

The next day, I meet Itachi at the training room's area. He told me to follow him, and we went out of the village. "For warm up, run laps around the village. Don't use chakra." He said. I stared at him.

"Seriously?" I asked.

"Yes. I will know if you use chakra." Itachi said. I sweat dropped and nodded.

After a while, I keeled over and dropped to the ground. "Meditate for your 3 minute break. Then continue." Itachi said. I groaned and sat up, meditating. Then I continued to do my laps. I lost count of how many laps I did. I ran until Itachi told me to stop. After he did tell me to stop, he seemed to nod in approval. "Do this for your warm up every day." Itachi said. I nodded, tiredly, gasping for breath.

"Meet me at Training room 13." He said disappearing. I nodded, knowing he wanted me to be there as soon as possible, so I flickered there. I appeared at the training rooms and found Itachi waiting for me. We entered the room. No one was inside. There were traps set to activate once I cut the rope in the centre of the room.

"Here, you'll be training on your evasive maneuvers. Go ahead and stand in the middle of the room. Start whenever you're ready." Itachi said. I nodded and went to the centre. I still had the weights on. I hadn't exactly gotten used to them yet, but I could tell my speed was definitely improving bit by bit. I calmed myself and allowed myself to regain some energy before starting.

Kunai started flying at me from all directions. I jumped and saw two fly at me from in front and behind. I could see the tree in the room which I could jump into and I did so. Some kunai with paper bombs flew at me and I managed to get away just in time. I noticed a landmine and jumped up to the ceiling just before it exploded. Itachi watched.

It was at least 2 minutes before I got careless from lack of energy and a kunai stabbed me in the leg. I didn't use my kekei genkai and he didn't ask me to. I managed to jump out of the way and land in a safe area. I healed myself and meditated before starting again, as he ordered me to. I improved a lot. By the end of training, I could last for 2.5 minutes.

After that, we went to the Water room. "We'll work on almost everything else you need to work on in here. Right now, I want you to dispel the genjutsus I place on you. Dispel them. If that's not possible, then stop your own chakra flow completely. Understood?" Itachi asked.

"Right." I said. Itachi turned on his Sharingan and sent Genjutsu after genjutsu on me to dispel. I dispelled many of the lower level ones. The ones he set with his Sharingan I had to stop my chakra flow completely and they would fade.

"The Sharingan allows me to catch you in stronger genjutsu illusions that are harder to break out of. Sasuke isn't at the level of using his Sharingan to wrap his opponents around genjutsu, but Kakashi may start teaching him the basics, so if you face him, you will have to keep an eye out for the genjutsu illusions as well. I believe a simple dispel will keep his genjutsu from getting to you, since his chakra control is not exactly perfect yet." Itachi said. I nodded.

Then we started my water elemental jutsu training. "Since you're able to pull water from the moisture in the air, you already have a source of water but I believe it takes more effort for you to gather water from the moisture in the air, so a source of water would be easier for you to use, correct?" He asked.

"Yeah." I said.

"Then first, stand on the water. Do you know how?" Itachi asked.

"I think so. I've read about chakra control techniques in a few scrolls and tested it. I've only done it once, but I felt like it was natural for me, so I didn't bother practicing." I said.

"Do it." Itachi said. I walked onto the water and he had his sharingan on. He nodded.

"Most people take more chakra to stand on water, but I believe since it is your natural affiliation, and you have a bloodline trait that allows you to manipulate water, you're able to use less chakra because the water supports you. Now, form a barrier over yourself to block my attacks." Itachi said, pulling out a kunai. "I'll go slow and let you know where to block."

I nodded and he disappeared.

"Behind your legs." He said. I allowed the water to rise and block his kunai. The water almost seemed to catch his kunai and cushion it, but he wasn't able to break through.

"Over your head." He said. I manipulated the water so that it blocked him from reaching me.

We continued until he told me to try and block and attack at the same time using the water defense and spike the water into ice to turn it solid. He attacked and his kunai was knocked out of his hand by the force of the ice shooting out from the barrier. I was surprised. It seemed almost natural. Itachi nodded with approval.

"Alright. Now, I'll teach you two water techniques, the Hidden Mist Jutsu and the Water Clone Jutsu." He said. I nodded and listened carefully, still standing on the water. "The Hidden Mist Jutsu has one hand seal. Release the chakra and allow it to scatter into the air around you. Since you have the ability to collect moisture in the air, it's more effective. Use that ability to thicker the moisture until it's visible and thick."

I practiced the jutsu, and the mist was thick, but not as thick as Itachi's. In his mist, I couldn't even see my hand in Itachi's mist. Itachi dispelled it.

"Again." He said. I created the mist again. He dispelled it. I did it again, and again… and again, continuously, until he told me to stop.

"Alright. That's enough of the mist for now. We'll work on the Water Clone technique now. Allow your chakra to flow with the water and create a replica of yourself through the clone." He said. I did as he asked, and the water formed into a clone. He nodded in approval, after looking at it carefully. There were no imperfections.

"Good. Now, practice those jutsu and try to become more efficient with them. Also, the Water Clones have a limited range, but with practice, you can get them further from your own body. Also, your blood line allows you to manipulate the water in the air, and keep the clone in shape, so you will most likely be able to get the water clone further than any average ninja with just the water elemental affiliation." Itachi said. I nodded in understanding.

"I'm also going to teach you to use a technique most Mist Anbu ninja know how to use tomorrow. I believe it'll be useful for you in the future." He said. I nodded.

"Alright, continue practicing with your clones. Get them as far as you can from your body before they dispel." Itachi said. I nodded and created my water clone, and it managed to move about 4 meters from my body before it dispelled and turned back into water. I continued to make clones before my chakra was almost completely exhausted. I keeled over and fell to my knees, almost blacking out, panting. Itachi looked at the clock. It was almost 11.

"Meditate, and then follow me. We're going to room 13 again for the end of your training." Itachi said. I nodded and meditated on the ground in front of the water. I was a little exhausted. My chakra reserves were extremely low of chakra.

We went to room 13 and I managed to last close to 3 minutes before I was slashed across the shoulder by a shuriken. The cut had been quite deep. I managed to stop the bleeding with barely any chakra left and wrapped the wound with some bandages. I was told to head home by Itachi.

I walked back home, half dead, and Akane opened the door. "Wow. You look… tired." Akane said. I barely managed to slip my shoes off before speaking to Akane.

"Tired is an understatement." I said falling over the sofa and collapsing on my face. "Uggh… I need to get to my room… and take a nap, before I shower…"

"Wow. You look bad." Asami said coming into the living room with Miyuki.

"You don't have to tell me." I groaned. Asami laughed a little. Miyuki giggled.

"Poor Saku-chan." Miyuki said, sitting beside my head on the sofa and patting my head. Yuki jumped onto my back and meowed in greeted.

"Yuki… I'm tired." I whined. Yuki jumped off of my back and licked my cheek. I sighed and turned myself onto my back. Yuki meowed once again nuzzling into my face.

"Ok fine. I'm getting up. "I said sighing and pushing myself up. Yuki ran after me and I went to my room, managing to take my blades off and put them against the wall, before taking a nap with Yuki under my arm. I woke up about 2 hours later, and took a shower, before going back to bed again. The next day, I woke up at the usual time and went to the training rooms.

Itachi and Shisui showed up a little later, and Itachi told me to do my laps again. I walked with Shisui, while Itachi just jumped away. We didn't want anyone spreading rumors of my training with Itachi of course.

"So… how was yesterday's training?" Shisui asked.

"You were right. He is a slave driver. I got home half dead on my feet and collapsed in bed for 2 hours before I went to shower." I said. Shisui chuckled. "But I'm grateful he's training me… I don't think I would survive against Gaara otherwise. He's a good teacher…. Even though he's a sadistic slave driver…" I said, muttering the last part as we got to the gates and met up with Itachi in the woods.

I started my laps around the village and I didn't bother counting. "Good job! Keep it up!" Shisui yelled as I passed by maybe the 5th time or so. It had been under 50 minutes since I started. "Faster! Faster!" Shisui cheered. "Ack!" Suddenly, I heard him yelp and grinned to myself. Itachi had probably thrown something at him again. By the time Itachi told me to stop, I was about to fall onto my face. "Good Job Sakura! That was 30 laps around the village in 4 hours! We should probably get something to go eat for lunch." Shisui said. Itachi nodded and disappeared, saying he'd head home and eat.

"So where to?" Shisui asked.

"Um… What about the Ichiraku Ramen shop?" I asked.

"You like Ramen too?" Shisui asked with a happy glint in his eye.

"Well. Not really. Naruto likes it. I just got used to eating it once in a while with Naruto's obsession." I said. Shisui looked at me with a soft smile.

"Let's go then." Shisui said. We both went to the ramen shop and I was surprised to see him there with Jiraiya.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto greeted happily. I wasn't surprised to see that Jiraiya was there.

"Hey Naruto." I greeted a little tiredly.

"So how's your training?" Naruto asked. Shisui and I looked at each other. Then we looked back at Naruto, before looking back at each other, and sweat dropping.

"Extremely tiring…" We both said, completely in sync.

"Huh?" Naruto and Jiraiya looked completely confused.

"Don't ask." I said taking a seat and ordering some Miso ramen. Shisui ordered some Barbeque pork ramen. Naruto was eating a large amount along with Shisui. I ate my bowl and Shisui paid for mine and his before we left Naruto. Jiraiya had already run off, seeing how much Naruto was eating.

We headed to the training rooms and found Itachi waiting for us there and went to room 13, to start my evasive training. I'd gotten a bit better, managing to stay unscathed for 3 minutes before a senbon managed to hit my arm. Itachi said nothing and Shisui and I followed him out.

"Alright. Next is your Taijutsu. Also, I want you to try putting chakra into your strikes to make the more powerful, and release the chakra at the right time, to create the more powerful strikes. It will be your own technique, since your chakra control is at an extremely high level, compared to other ninja." Itachi said. I nodded.

We battled with Taijutsu and Shisui managed to dodge most of my hits. It scared the hell out of Shisui when I managed to punch a tree in the room and snap it in half like a twig. Itachi almost looked like he was enjoying Shisui's dodging and running from my kicks and punches. By the end of the training session the room was quite badly damaged.

"Are we going to work on your manipulation techniques yet?" Shisui asked hoping he wouldn't be tortured by running away from my powerful attacks. Itachi nodded.

"Yes. We should work on those next." Itachi said. We went to the water room. No one was there, as usual. I wondered why no one usually used the room.

"Hey, why doesn't anyone use the water room?" I asked as we walked in.

"Oh. People use it alright. It's just that Itachi warned every Anbu, Jounin, even Chunnin, from even thinking of using this room without terrible, terrible repercussions that would involve a lot of torture and possible loss of limbs… leading to eventual death..." Shisui dramatically stated.

"I did no such thing." Itachi replied, glaring at his cousin.

"Well, he just said it would be in use by him, which… is practically saying the same thing… Just… in not so many words…" Shisui said grinning. I laughed lightly.

"Sakura. You're to use the shield once again. Solidify the shield and create the spikes to counter. Shisui, you will use taijutsu and try to attack her. Start slowly and go faster as you continue to attack. Keep at the speed that she cannot hit you with until she manages to hit you." Itachi said.

"What?! Why am I the guinea pig?" Shisui whined. Itachi glared. Shisui sighed and started to attack. I blocked and attacked back with ice spikes as my shield.

"Wow. Now this is cool!" Shisui said grinning. I continued to spike the water into ice until I hit him grazing his hand, and he went even faster. My water shield rose and blocked every one of his hits. I was able to react faster after getting used to being attacked. Itachi seemed to approve before we worked on a different manipulation technique.

"Now. Try and use your water manipulation and incorporate it into your own movements, as if it's a blade." Itachi said.

"A blade…?" I asked curiously.

"Yes. Water is a flowing substance, but you can form it to become sharp enough to cut through wood, grass, vines, and even metal, if you learn to control it. You would only need a small amount of water to cut through material quickly, like a blade, so even if your weapons are all taken and you are defenseless, you will have a weapon with you, from the moisture in the air." Itachi said. I manipulated the water and it flowed through my hands I tried to use it like a blade and cut at the tree. It seemed to dent the bark.

"Your movement must be quick and sharper, Sakura." Itachi said. I tried again, and managed to cut through the bark slightly.

"Like that. Alright. Practice that technique 100 times." Itachi said. I nodded and started.

One.

Two.

Three.

I tried to cut but the bark merely dented. I blinked and looked back at Itachi. "Was that 100 times consecutively? Or a 100 times in total?" I asked.

"What do you think?" Itachi asked. I smirked.

"A hundred times more to go then!" I said grinning, starting once again. I managed to do 50 before my chakra started getting low.

"Meditate. Then do 10 more. Then we'll work another manipulation technique, except this one is more like a jutsu." Itachi said. I nodded and obeyed his command, knowing not to argue. After I finished 10 more slashes, we started on the next manipulation technique.

"The next manipulation technique is like the water prison jutsu but you have to learn to pressurize the water, instead of turning the water to ice. I will show you a chakra control technique like what I am talking about." Itachi said. I nodded in understanding.

"Shisui, get in the water." Itachi said. Shisui pouted.

"Why am I always the guinea pig?" He whined. Itachi stared at Shisui, who just jumped into the water without a word. I giggled lightly. Itachi touched the water and surrounded Shisui in a chakra barrier. Shisui was unable to move. He flickered out of the barrier.

Itachi released his hold on the barrier and the water fell back into the lake. "So, how was it? I was experimenting with the idea yesterday. It takes less chakra than the true water prison jutsu." Itachi said.

"What's more fun than suffocating?" Shisui asked playfully. I laughed lightly. Itachi rolled his eyes. "It was too hard to breath, but I could move a little. If you tightened the barrier around the water, I think the pressure would have been too much for my body."

"Get back in the water." Itachi demanded.

"What? Why can't you be the guinea pig for once!" Shisui whined. Itachi seemed to go silent.

"You know what, I want to try something. I will play the guinea pig." Itachi said. He looked at Shisui. "Ready?" He asked, lowering his body into the water.

"What Anbu subordinate doesn't want to drown his captain?" Shisui asked with a bit of a sarcastic tone in his voice. I snickered. He performed the same technique on Itachi. Suddenly, the water's edge began to steam.

"Acck! Hot!" Shisui yelped, pulling his hand back and waving his hands, blowing on them as the water ball fell apart, splattering into the lake.

"You felt it?" Itachi asked.

"Yeah, that burned like crazy!" Shisui said still flinging his hand around, trying to cool it down in the air.

"Sakura's water manipulation technique would probably allow her to keep herself from feeling the heat if the enemy ninja captured was a fire affiliated ninja." Itachi said.

"Can I try now?" I asked. Itachi nodded and gave Shisui a look. Shisui immediately jumped back in the water. I sweat dropped and caught Shisui in a ball of water.

"Good. Now pressurize the water so that he's unable to move." Itachi said. I forced the ball of water to pressurize on Shisui's body. I could understand the concept of pressurizing the water. It was different from turning the water into ice. I had to keep the molecules of water further away from each other, and keep them from solidifying. Shisui turned on his Sharingan and flickered out. He gasped for breath.

"Damn seriously! I was going to suffocate! That was insane! I thought my bones were going to break. I couldn't even lift a finger!" Shisui said panting.

"Good. That means you have a good control over your manipulation technique and you have a good idea of how it works." Itachi said. I let the water drop. "After you get the 100 slashes, then do this 100 times." Itachi said. I nodded and took a deep breath letting the water fall back into the lake. "We'll work on the water whip today." He said. I nodded. "I need you to thin out a line of water and grip it in your hand… Keep the handle solidified and control the water so that it stays together. Your ability to collect water from thin air also helps because you can control the length of your whip to make it longer or shorter." Itachi said.

I nodded and pulled out a whip from thin-air and allowed it to solidify. Shisui snickered and muttered. "Now I'm just imagining you in a cute dominatrix costume…" He said. I snickered as Itachi slapped his cousin upside the head for the perverted comment.

"Now attack Shisui with it." Itachi ordered.

"What?! Not again!" Shisui whined.

"You've been pretty useless so far today. Just stay the guinea pig." Itachi said. He turned to me. "Now concentrate both on the force in your arm to the force of the whip to move it. Think of the whip as a real weapon and an extension of your hand. You could say this is also training to use the chain on Hyourinmaru. I will also train you with that since the chain is a more solid and heavier weapon." Itachi said. I nodded in understanding.

"Hit me as hard as you can, Saku-hime!" Shisui said grinning. I sweat dropped and nodded. He was almost like Naruto, with that grin of his. I solidified the edge of the whip with a good layer of chakra as the whip hit him. Shisui yelped as he started bleeding. "Aie! That hurt! Ackkk! I'm bleeding! Save me!" Shisui cried out.

"Sorry sempai." I said sweat dropping and rushing to heal him.

"I'm starting to question your identity as a man and a ninja…" Itachi stated staring at Shisui.

"As long as you heal me!" Shisui responded to me and completely ignoring Itachi's comment.

"Good. Lash him 100 times. Heal him every tenth. If they don't draw blood, start over." Itachi said.

"Well. I get medical ninjutsu practice out of this I guess." I said sweat dropping.

"How many lashes can you do right now?" Itachi asked.

"Around 60 before I tire out and run out of chakra." I said.

"Save some. Itachi might try to kill me and I need my student to heal me!" Shisui said.

"Do 60 and leave him for dead." Itachi said with a smirk. I laughed at the two of them and asked if I could numb Shisui. Itachi seemed to raise an eyebrow before nodding in consent. I did my lashes. Shisui was groaning in annoyance by the 50th lash.

"You can't feel them since she numbed you, so why are you complaining?" Itachi asked.

"Because it's irritating feeling the lash, but not feeling the pain… It's weird." Shisui said.

After the lashes, Itachi ordered me to do the next 40 lashes on my next training session with the two of them, but to practice controlling the whip as well and learn to control the whip completely when I had time. Shisui was to keep an eye on my water manipulation practice along with my water jutsu training as well.

We started on my wind jutsu training. Shisui started to teach me the basics of a C-rank wind type jutsu, the same jutsu Orochimaru had used on us in the Chunnin exams. The Daitoppa (Great Breakthrough).

I was also taught to use wind chakra with Sode no Shiraiyuki's normal blade form to cut through harder objects, such as another blade. Her blade worked better because it was a single handed blade, made for fast cutting movements and attacks. Hyourinmaru's blade was a long blade, made for stronger, forceful, and heavy attacks.

After that, Itachi and Shisui trapped me in all types of genjutsu and I continued to dispel them one by one, continuously, until we stopped and Shisui taught me more sword techniques. He taught me to use the Shadow clone technique. Unlike Water clones, shadow clones didn't have a limited range. However, they used up more chakra than water clones. I wasn't surprised, knowing each jutsu had different advantages and disadvantages. He wanted to teach me the Leaf Style: Crescent Moon Dance, blade technique. I would be using Sode no Shiraiyuki's blade for the technique.

I also worked on ice elemental attacks. Haku's thousand needles of death was also an attack I'd been working on for a while as well. I hadn't forgotten about the scroll father had given me either. I hadn't told Shisui and Itachi about Haku's kekei genkai being the same as mine. I didn't want to give Haku any trouble with the Leaf village either, since he had a free and happy life to enjoy.

* * *

A week had passed, and my speed along with stamina had already been increased to Lee's speed. My chakra reserves had also increased. I had the same weights as Lee had when he battled Gaara… but I **had** to admit one thing.

Shisui was right.

Itachi was a serious slave driver.

I was pretty much half dead every day after training with Itachi, or both of them. Shisui went slightly easier on me and let me take a break at the end of the day before I went home so I would have some energy left. After Itachi would train me, I would pretty much collapse in bed for an hour or so. Then after that, I would wake up and shower, reluctantly, and then eat a little bit before I headed back to bed again.

I was grateful though. His training really did help. There was no possible way for me to fail at the jutsu I had mastered and managed to do 100 times in a row. The whip became quite powerful as a long ranged weapon. My water manipulation was a perfect secret weapon, because I had not only the moisture in the air as a resource of my own power, but I could also use sweat, as gross as it sounded, and even blood.

I also knew I could manipulate the blood of other people. I knew I had the power to do so… However, it was extremely cruel, so I didn't tell Itachi or Shisui about it. I would only use it as a last resort in a life and death situation. It would be my secret weapon.

Shisui had taught me a special technique that I had been practicing for a long while, but still hadn't mastered.

By using wind chakra, I could create static electricity in the air and gather it using my own chakra. The problem was keeping the static electricity from dispersing at the moment of contact. I could envelop the electricity in my own chakra, but it was too draining.

Itachi helped out with my control, saying that if I used my chakra and enveloped the electricity at the moment of impact, I could keep it from dispersing and release the chakra surrounding the energy. I knew this would be something I could use against Gaara's shell of sand when he was awakening the Shukaku, since electricity and lightning both had a piercing power. It looked much like a yellow Chidori.

Training with the two Anbu level ninja was fun but extremely draining. By the end of the second week, my stamina had increased to three times what I had before. My chakra reserves had doubled as well compared to my past life when I had been a Chunnin and I knew double the number of jutsu that I had known in the past. Itachi's training forced me to exhaust myself which would expand my chakra reserves.

I had also managed to learn to use Hyourinmaru's ice attack differently. By merging water chakra into the attack I was able to send out a liquid dragon and freeze the enemy's body completely. If the ice shattered, the body would shatter as well, while if it sent out an ice dragon by merging both water and wind chakra into the attack, a solid dragon would crash into the enemy and cause more immediate damage sending them through solid walls or trees. I had focused on master Hyourinmaru's attacks first, since I had more experience with it. I hadn't tried to awaken Sode no Shirayuki yet.

I **had** trained with Tsunade, but she had been busy much of the time, taking care of paper work, trying to reform the hospital, and taking care of the village. Within the three years of training I had probably had a year full of training from her throughout the whole time, so I was extremely grateful to Itachi and Shisui for dedicating their time into training me during the month of the Chunnin exams.

* * *

On the third week close to the end of the week, I managed to beg Itachi to let me take a single day of a break. I wanted to bring a flower for Lee… The daffodil I had chosen would still be my flower of choice. I heard he was still in the hospital but he had gone unconscious after gaining consciousness once again because of exerting his body. I also decided that maybe it was time that we girls hung out to strengthen our bond.

I walked into the flower shop and looked at the flowers. I sensed Ino's chakra at the desk and looked over to her. She looked a little surprised. "Oh. Hi Ino." I greeted. She looked at me before looking away.

"I'm grateful you beat me. I mean… if I beat you, I would have had to face the Sand ninja… I would probably die in the first few seconds of the fight." Ino said.

"Don't be so pessimistic. I'm sure you would have done better than what you think." I said.

"So who are you buying the flowers for?" She asked.

"Lee. I heard he over-exerted himself at the hospital… His injuries are bad enough… and even by the end of the month, he won't completely recover." I said. I blinked and asked for a cut daffodil. Ino nodded and prepared the wrapping.

"Oh. I was planning on inviting you and Hinata, and maybe Tenten to the hot springs or something. You know, so we can relax and have like… a girls night out?" I asked. She looked happy but frowned sadly.

"I'm sorry. My parents are going out tonight, so they want me to tend to the shop." She said, looking down, seeming depressed.

"It's alright then. Maybe next time, after the Chunnin exams?" I asked.

"I'd like that." She said with a smile. I smiled in relief. "And the flower, you can just take it for free... You know, I'm actually grateful you beat me… and now that I think about it taught me not to be so over confident, and showed me that I have to work hard too." Ino said.

"Thank-you." I thanked her and left the shop, happy that we were going to be friends once again. Maybe we could get close again… This time, I wouldn't allow her to die. I knew where to find Hinata of course. She would most likely be training with her team at this time of the day. I headed to the hospital first and the nurse led me to Lee's room. Lee was still asleep, and I set the flower down in a vase. I left a note on the table telling him to get well soon, with my initials and a cherry blossom picture.

I walked past hearing Chouji's voice and decided to give them a visit. "What are you guys doing?" I asked curiously outside the open window.

"Hm? Sakura?" Shikamaru asked.

"Hey." I greeted with a wave. "So how's your training been going?"

"Training every day, all day... Asuma has got me working like a dog. Woof." Shikamaru barked in imitation of a dog. I laughed and Asuma burst out laughing as well.

"It's not only Shikamaru. Chouji's joined us for training as well." Asuma said.

"That's good. I guess Ino has been going from time to time?" I asked.

"Yeah. She's been working harder these days and there's been less obsessing with Sasuke. I guess that battle with you knocked some sense into her." Asuma said.

"Hm… Well, I had a talk with her. It was partly the battle, but also the skills of the other ninja that was pushing her." I said.

"So what are you doing?" Asuma asked.

"My trainer allowed me a one day break, before I start my training again… and then right before the exam I have another performance. I'm pretty busy… not only that… I end up half dead almost half the time, by the end of the day…" I said sighing.

"It's that bad huh?" Asuma said.

"No kidding… Kakashi's been training Sasuke, and Naruto's been training with someone his father asked to train him. I have no doubt someone powerful." I said sighing.

"Man… I wish I'd never signed up for this stupid final exam…" Shikamaru groaned.

"I don't want to hear it. There are plenty of people who'd give their right arm to be a part of it." Asuma said looking to Shikamaru. "And besides, from everything I've heard, Gai and Kurenai's teams have been training their butts off." Asuma said.

"Yeah? Well, what about it?" Shikamaru asked.

"After coming this far, you don't want them making you look bad do you?" Asuma asked.

"Oh… man… This is such a drag." Shikamaru said sighing. I laughed lightly.

"Well. I've got to get going. I'm planning on visiting everyone today before I go back to training tomorrow… He's probably going to double the amount of stuff I need to work on…" I muttered to myself.

"Good luck with your training." Shikamaru said.

"You too." I said before leaving.

* * *

I headed to Team 8's training grounds, and surely enough, Team 8 was sitting by the river taking a break. Kurenai was looking at Shino, probably planning her next training session. "Hinata!" I greeted. She looked up in surprise.

"Sakura! I haven't seen you in so long!" She said standing up. I walked over to her.

"So, I was thinking if I could have a girl's night out with you and Tenten. Ino had to tend to the flower shop her mother owns so she couldn't come, unfortunately." I said.

"I'd love to!" She said happily. I smiled. Kurenai seemed happy for Hinata.

"Have your internal wounds healed completely?" I asked curiously.

"The medical ninja managed to heal my injuries. They said that if you hadn't healed me that time, then I would have gone into a critical condition, so I'm really grateful. Thank-you!" Hinata said.

"It's fine. You don't have to thank me. Besides, we're friends right? Friends are supposed to help each other." I said. Hinata smiled and nodded. "So I'll come and pick you up here maybe around five? We can relax in the hot springs before we get something to eat." I said. She smiled and nodded in agreement. I decided to head to Gai's training area knowing Tenten and Neji would be training together. They were taking a break at the moment.

"Hey Tenten!" I greeted.

"Oh! Sakura!" She said with a smile in greeting.

"Um. Well, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with me and Hinata tonight, you know, a girls night out? We could relax in the hot spring and get something to eat?" I asked.

"Of course! That would be awesome!" Tenten said. She gave Neji a questioning look. He merely nodded in consent to her coming with me.

"Cool. Then I guess I'll come by here around 5 or something?" I asked. Tenten smiled and nodded.

"Perfect!" Tenten said. I nodded and left the area.

* * *

I decided to walk around the village for a short while when I heard someone call my name. "Sakura!" I turned around to see Iruka-sensei with his class of students.

"Oh. Iruka-sensei." I greeted.

"I haven't seen you in a while. You've been training for the Chunnin exams, I see?" Iruka asked walking up to me.

"Yeah. To be honest, I've got a slave driver of a trainer. Luckily, I managed to beg him to give me a day off." I said. Iruka chuckled.

"Saku-hime!" I found myself enveloped in a hug from behind and my eyes were covered by two hands. I sweat dropped.

"Shisui-sempai, what are you doing?" I asked.

"Aww! How'd you guess?" Shisui asked.

"You're the only one who calls me that. You're also the only Uchiha who's not emotionless and stoic, and the only Uchiha who pulls pranks, and I can also recognize your voice." I said smiling lightly and pulling his hands off of my eyes and spinning around to see him. He pouted.

"Oh well! So I heard from the slave driver you managed to beg him into letting you get a day off?" Shisui asked with a smile.

"Yeah. I'm betting he's going out on his date with Akane-nee tonight." I said with a grin. Shisui snickered and nodded.

"Well, you two look like you have nothing to do… Mind coming with me to help with a history lesson…?" Iruka asked.

"Ok." I said shrugging.

"If Hime's going, I guess I'll come along too." Shisui said.

"You really should stop calling me that, Sempai." I said.

"Too bad! I like my nicknames!" Shisui said. I sighed.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei, where are we going?" Konohamaru asked.

"We're going to the Hokage's tower and going to go to the roof." Iruka said. As we walked to the Hokage's tower, a large dog growled and started barking at the children. One of the girls reached out to pat it, and try and calm it down, but it scratched her hand.

She was crying and sobbing. I walked to her, and kneeled down to her. "Don't cry. It's ok." I said. She nodded and held back her cries. I pulled out an alcohol pad and cleaned the wound, before putting my hand over her wound. My hand glowed green before the wound disappeared. The children gasped in amazement.

"Wow! Thank-you!" The girl said amazed. I smiled lightly.

"No problem." I said.

"What was that?" Another girl asked curiously. "That was amazing!" "This nee-chan is soo cool!" "Awesome!"

"You've learned medical ninjutsu I see." Iruka said. I stood up.

"Yeah. It's pretty useful. Besides, Naruto and Sasuke will probably get themselves hurt a lot, so I'm the one who has to take care of them. I have to heal Shisui quite often too." I said.

"Yup! She saved my life so many times." Shisui said grinning and patting my head. I rolled my eyes.

"You over exaggerate your wounds, sempai. Seriously, if you ever do get a serious wound, you'd probably laugh it off and call it a scratch." I said. Shisui scratched the back of his head and sweat dropped. I stared at him with a blank look, before rolling my eyes.

"Medical ninjutsu is so cool!" I heard a girl whisper. A few other kids murmured in agreement.

We went to the Hokage's tower and stood in front of the doors. "Hey Hime, I'm bored! Wanna race to the top?" Shisui asked.

"You'd probably beat me anyways." I said rolling my eyes.

"Come on!" Shisui whined.

"Fine." I said, using the body flicker to reach the roof of the Hokage tower and disappear into thin air. Shisui did the same, appearing before I did on the tower. I hadn't used my kekei genkai of course, not wanting to waste too much chakra.

"Where'd they go?" "Woah! She just disappeared into thin air!" "She vanished!"

"Hey, Iruka-sensei! We'll wait for you up here!" I called. Iruka seemed amazed by my skill. His class looked shocked and amazed.

* * *

Once they got to the top I was playing around with some water I had collected from the air. Shisui was challenging me with all kinds of shapes, sitting down in front of me.

"A star!"

The water turned into a star.

"A square!"

The water turned into a square.

"A triangle!"

The water turned into a triangle.

"Now a dog!"

The water splashed onto his head and he pouted.

"That was mean, Hime!" Shisui whined wiping his face with his sleeve and shaking the water out of his untamed hair. I laughed lightly.

"It's your fault!" I grinned. He pouted.

We heard the class laughing and Iruka was chuckling lightly. He got the class to settle down and started his lesson. "Today's history class will be outside. As you're all aware, on this rock face, are the sculptures of the Hokages. They're in order from the left. There's the first, the second, the third, and the fourth. You probably could've figured that out." Iruka said.

"Iruka-sensei? So who's the fifth Hokage?" A girl asked.

"Huh? Hm… that hasn't been decided yet… Maybe it'll be your favourite teacher!" Iruka said with a laugh. Shisui and I looked at each other.

"The slave driver would probably be Hokage first." Shisui said. I sweat dropped and giggled in agreement. We heard a familiar voice clearing his throat and Shisui smiled nervously, looking towards the voice to see Itachi, standing behind Minato and the Third, as their guard. I sweat dropped. He looked… very annoyed and almost angry.

Minato and the Third laughed. "So, working in an occasional joke to make for an engaging History lesson, eh Iruka?" The Third asked with a laugh, his pipe in his mouth.

"Woah! It's the Third and the Fourth!" A kid said.

"Oh! Yondaime Hokage-sama (Fourth Hokage)! Sandaime Hokage-sama (Third Hokage)!"

"Hey old man! What are you doing here?!" Konohamaru asked accusingly.

"We just wanted to look at the mountain side images like you students are doing." The Third Hokage said with a smile. Minato nodded in agreement with a smile.

"Well you've both come at a great time! Would you care to join us?" Iruka asked.

Both Kage nodded and walked to Iruka's side. Iruka introduced them to the kids. "The Fourth Hokage miraculously saved the Village from the nine tailed fox 13 years ago, and survived! He is also known as the Golden Flash of the Leaf, the fastest of all the Kage in the world! The Third Hokage was called the strongest, and even considered a genius! He was also called, professor." Iruka said.

"What?" "Seriously?" "Wow!" "Woah!" "Cool!" "No way!" The children chattered up a storm before they quieted down again.

"I'm still here you know. Talk about me in the present tense." The Third said.

"Yes! Of course! Sorry!" Iruka apologized in embarrassment.

"Come on, are you both really strong?" "Yeah, cause you both don't look it." I sweat dropped. Oh boy. They were sooo wrong. If Tsunade was here and she'd heard that, she'd have killed these kids with a single punch and sent their corpses flying all the way to the Land of Snow.

Both Kage talked about protecting the people precious to them and the village being their precious people.

* * *

After the academy kids were dismissed. Itachi glared at Shisui. I sweat dropped. Shisui sweat dropped and dodged a kunai that was thrown at him by Itachi, hiding behind me. "Saku-hime, save me! Itachi's trying to kill me again!" Shisui whined like a child. I laughed at the two of them. Minato looked extremely amused along with the Third. Iruka was chuckling at Shisui while Itachi looked like his eye was twitching.

"What'd you do to Itachi?" I asked curiously looking back at Shisui.

"Annoy the hell out of him by flirting with Akane when he was about to ask her out on the date." Shisui said quietly. I snickered and wanted to burst out laughing. The things an Uchiha would do when they were jealous and angry…

"So are you doing anything tonight, Saku-hime?" Shisui said.

"Yes, but you aren't invited. I'm having a girl's night out." I said.

"Awww! I won't have anyone to save me from Itachi!" Shisui whined. I laughed lightly at Shisui's antics.

* * *

It wasn't long before I went to pick up Hinata and Tenten, leaving Shisui and Itachi to their own matters, knowing Itachi was probably going to beat the crap out of Shisui for flirting with Akane.

Hinata, Tenten, and I went to the hot springs and sank into the water. There were three other women sitting in the hot springs on the women's side. I didn't bother trying to figure out who they were through the steam because I didn't really care. I was finally able to relax like this today!

"Wow! It's been so long since I've relaxed like this!" I said sighing in relief.

"Hehe. Well with the final exams, I'm quite sure you're pretty busy training. I've been helping Neji with his training, since I'm not in the finals…" Tenten said.

"So it's you kids!" I heard a voice said. I realized it was Anko. She smirked at me.

"Hi Anko-sensei." I greeted.

"Well, I can just wish you luck against the Sand boy. He doesn't seem to be the merciless type. You're lucky you have one of the fastest ninja in the village training you. I doubt you would survive if you didn't." Anko said. I rolled my eyes. "How are your wounds, you two?" Anko asked, turning to Tenten and Hinata.

"For me, that Sand village girl just did a lot on the outside. I didn't have any internal wounds. I fell unconscious from the pain of all the cuts." Tenten said.

"I'm better now, since Sakura healed me before I was taken away. They'd said if she didn't used her medical ninjutsu to heal me when she had, I would have been in the emergency room in critical condition, after going into cardiac arrest." Hinata said softly.

"You know, you're too grateful to me, Hinata. I just did my best with my skills at the moment." I said.

"But still, your medical ninjutsu is pretty good for a rookie gennin that's just fresh out of the academy. You learned from the books the Uchiha head gave you, you say?" Anko asked.

"Yeah. I took a while. I had to train on my own, since I don't really think anyone in the hospital wants to train just a rookie gennin that knows nothing about medical ninjutsu and wants to fight. I want to be a field medic, since there aren't any around." I said.

"That's a good idea. I think the great Tsunade-sama was pretty much the only field medic in her time that was able to fight and heal. Anyways, good luck kid. I'm probably going to go out for some dango." Anko said. I grinned and nodded. Typical Anko.

"Hey, you kids. Which one of you is participating in the final exams?" A voice asked. It was a very familiar voice. I knew this voice too well. I almost wanted to cry with happiness when I saw her face.

Her blond hair was let down, and she was staring at us with her cinnamon brown eyes.

"Me…" I said, hesitantly, almost not believing that she was here.

"Hm. Interesting… What's your name?" She asked.

"Haruno Sakura." I said.

"Ok. Shizune, let's go!" She roared.

"R-right!" Shizune's voice stuttered, afraid of her getting mad. Tsunade seemed to eye me before leaving. I blinked in confusion.

* * *

– Tsunade's P.O.V. – (Konoha Village)

I hadn't been here for a while…To be honest, I was still grieving Dan and Nawaki's deaths… My hemophobia wasn't cured either… but when I heard Anko, Orochimaru's past pupil, speaking to the kids and the other girl thanking her friend for saving her, I couldn't help but think that I was going to grow old soon enough and die without passing on my skills… I wanted someone from this newest generation to pass on my skills to. Someone the age of that Namikaze brat's son…

I'd heard about Orochimaru infiltrating the village, but I didn't come to get involved. I'd wanted to come back and see how the village my grandfather had built was… and to visit the grave of Dan and Nawaki… both who died fighting in war… two of the many names on the KIA memorial stone.

I decided to check the girl out, and I looked at the three girls. A Hyuuga brat, and two other nameless brats… I spoke.

"Hey, you kids. Which one of you is participating in the final exams?" I asked. The pink haired girl turned to look at me and spoke.

"Me…" She said. I noticed the glint of sadness in her eyes… but behind the sadness, I could see the fierce look in her eyes. A fire that would be unbreakable… She had an unbreakable spirit… I knew from the look in her eye, she had the perfect drive to become a great medical ninja… I found it quite interesting that even when she looked so sad, I could see the fire burning within her eyes… I could tell we were very similar to each other… I'd want to see her fight before I decided to take her in though…

"Hm. Interesting… What's your name?" I asked.

"Haruno Sakura." She said, seeming to straighten up more confidently. I smirked to myself inwardly. She looked much stronger now… More… defiant… Maybe I'd go and watch these exams this time.

"Ok. Shizune, let's go!" I ordered. Shizune followed me obediently and I eyed Sakura for a short while. She noticed and made eye contact with me. I was surprised she didn't flinch away. I smirked and decided that these exams would be worth watching after all…

* * *

– Sakura's P.O.V. – (Konoha Village)

"Well… that was weird." Tenten said.

"No kidding…" I said trailing off. Hinata giggled. I shook my head, getting the thoughts off of my mind.

"Let's head out then, shall we? We can eat at the Barbeque." I said.

"Yeah! That'll be a great treat!" Tenten said grinning.

After we went to the barbeque, I walked home… and slept peacefully and happily… dreaming…

* * *

I dreamed of my past.

Tsunade had appeared in my dreams. She merely stared at me. I could remember the look in her face. It was exactly the same as the day I had asked her to take me in as her student and apprentice.

I knew she wasn't actually looking at me… but she was looking at my younger self. She hadn't said anything though, unlike in my past life. She merely held out her hand.

I stared at it, before grasping it tightly. She grinned with approval and I smiled back, unable to help the happiness I felt when she approved of me.

Then she disappeared in to thin air, and I found myself staring into nothing.

A voice echoed in my mind. I remembered the lesson she had once taught me. The lesson I had once repeated to myself, when I had tried to kill Sasuke on my own.

Don't cling to the past, and move forwards.

That is the only way you can grow and move on.

She had told me those words after Sasuke had defected and she had started to train me, when Naruto had left with Jiraiya.

I couldn't help but cling to the past though.

It was just who I was.

My memories created who I was… I would merely continue to experience more, and continue to change myself to cope…

And hope I would do the correct things to fix the future…

I was human… and I wasn't perfect…

But I'd try my best and live life to the fullest…

Just like Naruto had.

* * *

Coming up next… Chapter Ten: To Meet the Family…

SasuLovesSaku4Ever: OMG. I completed it! Wow. Anyways… NEXT CHAPTER… Coming up… Whenever I possibly can… Like I said to all my past reviewers, school's going to be starting soon… -glare- Updates will be VERY VERY SLOW once school starts… Sigh… I hope I never get off of this story and please continue to update and **keep my story on your alerts list** even if I don't update after a month or two! I swear that I will try to update the next chapter before the first week of winter break! If you review, I will be happy and type the next chapter as much as possible when I have time! BTW. Have my chapters been getting too long? Let me know… I think I haven't done a cliffy in a while…. Hm…

Sasuke: Your father is an annoying person. I would like to put him in a room with Orochimaru and allow him to suffer.

SasuLovesSaku4Ever: I agree… to some extent… but why do you feel that way?

Sasuke: I won't get to see Sakura until you update and he's part of the reason you're not updating.

Kakashi: Now now Sasuke. Calm down. The man doesn't deserve to be put in a room with the snake.

Sasuke: He does. He is keeping me from seeing Sakura. –death glare–

Itachi: Sasuke, father—

Sasuke: -Sharingan death glare-

Itachi: … Kakashi, what's wrong with my brother?

Kakashi: He's angry about being unable to see Sakura for a while.

Itachi: … I see… I'm unable to do anything about this situation. At any rate, would you let him know that Father and mother would like to ask him to come home for dinner tomorrow night?

Kakashi: Ok. I'll let him know when he calms down.

Sasuke: -taking his anger out on the many trees in the forest-

Kakashi: -winces- 'poor trees'

Itachi: -stares at Sasuke with an amused look before leaving-

Kakashi: Hey author, you really should try and get that next chapter up soon… I think Sasuke will kill himself from chakra exhaustion if he has to wait too much longer.

SasuLovesSaku4Ever: Well, why don't you try and not get to the exams late?

Kakashi: -sweat drop- Got it…


	11. Chapter 10: To Meet the Family

**Yay! Next chapter! I'M FINALLY BACK. But I might not be able to update again at least until Mid-December… OMG. I'm so saad..**

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* * *

**Done that. Now, your CHAPTER!**

Legend:

"_Thought"  
_"Speech"_  
__"Spirit/God/Goddess/Any spiritual-like being"__**  
"Demon/Tailed Beast"  
**_**"Emphasis"  
**Japanese name/catchword (Translation)  
**Singing**_**(Translation)**_

– Point of View P.O.V. – (Place)  
Chapter Number: Chapter Title

Chapter Ten: To Meet the Family…

– Sakura's P.O.V. – (Konoha Village)

The next day, I interrogated Akane because Miyuki and Asami told me when I came back that she'd gone on a date with Itachi, confirming what I had believed.

It was a simple dinner date and a quiet walk in the park, but the best part was when Itachi had kissed her on the cheek at the door, before leaving like a true gentlemen. Miyuki, Asami, and I were all squealing at the cuteness of course, and Akane had been blushing as red as a cherry with embarrassment.

I left the house, a little reluctant to head to training, knowing Itachi wouldn't go easy on me. Shisui had been there too but looked exhausted. I knew Itachi was probably going to train me till I dropped. Still, I knew that I wouldn't regret it at all.

As I suspected, I had run out of chakra and nearly gone unconscious a few times during the day. By the end of the day, I fell over the couch asleep on the couch when I got home, not even bothering to take off my shoes. Itachi had trained me till I was completely drained.

* * *

The day we would meet as a team finally came up. My cousins had been acting strange in the morning, but I assumed it was just worry for me since the exams were in just a week. I was at the bridge first, with both my blades. Hyourinmaru was on my back a green sash holding the sheath and star shaped clip holding the sash onto my back, while Sode no Shiraiyuki was attached to my waist, under my obi. I had a new training outfit since Itachi had trained me until the old outfit had almost completely been destroyed.

My new outfit was a short kimono like the first one, but I felt the colors seemed to fit me better. Itachi and Shisui had picked it out. Akane had modified it for me slightly when I gave it to her. I stared over the bridge at the river at my reflection. I could see myself in my war uniform once again… I hadn't actually looked too bad in it… but this outfit looked pretty good as well.

I wore a short red kimono with a black over-garment on top. The top of my black sports bra showed a little bit, and my forehead protector was tied around my neck, like Hinata had her headband around her neck hanging loosely. The red obi wrapped around my waist was red with the Haruno symbol, a bright white circle that showed on the side of the obi. I had black shorts under the kimono.

Of course, the night before, I had wanted to cut my hair. Shisui seemed confused at why I would do it because I always moved so perfectly that it never got in the way. Itachi merely said if I wanted to then it was my choice. I told him that I felt that it was time for a change…

I was different from Kuragari… and I had changed from the past… but this time, it was my own choice to cut my hair. I hadn't been forced to cut my hair to save my teammates. I had chosen on my own will… This was my life…

"Wow. Sakura, you look different." I looked up to see Sasuke and smiled at him. His parents were walking towards the bridge, watching us from afar.

"Hehe. I guess I just wanted to have a little change. My hair was something I've kept since I was young… Shisui told me I didn't need to cut it, but I wanted to anyways." I said touching the short ends of my hair. Sasuke nodded in understanding.

Naruto showed up with Jiraiya, who seemed to stare at me creepily, along with his own parents. Sasuke flickered on his Sharingan and stood in front of me defensively. I acted like I hadn't seen him staring at me at all. Naruto was glaring at Jiraiya, who backed off. I sensed Itachi and Shisui in the trees, but didn't show I noticed.

We waited.

And as usual…

Kakashi was hours late.

He poofed into existence on the railing... and Naruto greeted him with the usual accusing him of being late. Minato seemed to almost smirk. Kushina was glaring at him, looking a little pissed… well… not really a little… actually… she was really pissed. Her hair was floating around with a veerry scary look on her face. Kakashi sweat dropped.

"Looks like everyone's here. Let's head to the training grounds, shall we?" Kakashi asked smiling cautiously. We nodded and went to the training grounds. The three logs were there and I smiled lightly, reminiscing in my memories… Both times, Naruto had been tied to the log, and Sasuke and I feeding him food… Kakashi scaring the crap out of us before telling us we passed… It was a lot of fun… Even though it got a little boring the second time through… Since I knew what was going to happen…

Naruto was grinning and Sasuke was smirking as well. Kakashi seemed to smile as well behind his mask… I realized something.

We **still** hadn't found out what was behind the mask…

"Alright then… Now, I wanted you three to spar against each other." Kakashi said. Sasuke, Naruto and I stared at each other. Then we stared at Kakashi, confused and surprised. He smiled. "You're all in the exams. I want you three to learn to fight against each other, without holding back. First, I want Naruto and Sasuke to fight each other." Kakashi said.

I leaned back and watched the two charging at each other going through a series of kicks and punches. We already knew the two of them would fight each other without holding back. I knew what Kakashi wanted was to get them riled up before fighting me, because of course, they would hold back wanting to protect their female teammate. I smirked. After this, they definitely wouldn't hold back for sure… I'd make sure of that.

"Alright. Now I want Sasuke to fight against Sakura." Kakashi-sensei said.

I stood on the battle field with a light smirk. "Ready, cockatoo? You don't want to get beaten by a girl in front of everyone." I said, easily getting him riled up.

"There's no way I'm going to let you beat me!" Sasuke said. I smiled lightly.

"Good." I said. I blocked his attacks. I knew he wasn't showing his real speed, but I decided not to either. Instead, I'd just scare him off with my insane strength. I blocked his attack, backing up to a tree before slipping under him and throwing a slow punch just to make sure he dodged. He did and I hit the tree. It snapped like a twig and Sasuke's eyes widened, along with Naruto's and Kakashi's.

"You probably don't want to try catching any of my punches or kicks, Sasuke-kun." I said sweetly. Sasuke started running for his life as I attacked. Naruto's and Sasuke's parents all sweat dropped. Jiraiya was afraid. I could tell. Kakashi sweat dropped.

"Ok… that's enough now Sasuke. You're up next, Naruto." Kakashi said with a nervous smile.

He was probably reminding himself never to get me pissed off.

"Right…" Naruto said nervously.

"Naruto, are you going to let yourself get beat by a girl?" I asked tilting my head.

"But…" Naruto protested. I knew he would weaken at attacking me.

"Hmph fine. I guess you're going to let Hina-chan watch me wipe the floor with you." I said. Naruto's eyes widened. He blushed and then he grew angry.

"No way!" Naruto yelled. I smiled, knowing exactly where to push them to make them fight. He seemed to have totally forgotten about my insane strength. The next thing he knew, he was sent flying through the air into a tree. His parents and the others winced in pain for him. He was unconscious and groaning in pain. I heard clapping from the far side of the field and turned to see my cousins and two extremely familiar figures.

I gasped in shock.

"No way…" I said in shock.

"What?" Naruto seemed to have suddenly woken up. Everyone was looking curiously at me. I smiled, happily, my heart beating loudly in my chest. I rushed forwards in excitement and hugged the familiar male figure... The female stood beside us laughing happily.

"Tou-san! I can't believe you're here!" I said pulling back. I turned to Kaa-chan and hugged her as well. "Same to you, Kaa-chan!" I said.

"We missed you… My god, you've grown so much. I can't believe you're so big now…" Mother said, hugging me with tears in her eyes. I laughed happily, crying with tears of happiness.

"It's been a long time." I heard Itachi's voice, as he jumped out of the trees.

"You must be… Itachi… Wow. You've grown a lot as well." Father said greeting Itachi.

"These are Hime-chan's parents? Awesome!" Shisui said grinning.

The others gathered around and my parents introduced themselves. "I'm Haruno Kaede, Sakura's mother, and this is my husband, Isamu." Mother said letting me down… Mikoto and Kushina immediately pulled her away, and began chatting. Father sweat dropped.

"Ditched… again…" He said looking quite depressed. Minato and Fugaku looked like they were quite used to it and Minato chuckled, putting his hand on my father's shoulder to comfort him. I laughed lightly.

"Kaa-chan likes to wander doesn't she?" I asked Father.

"Well, she was always quite the adventurous one…" Father said patting my head. "A lot like you." He said with a smile. His face turned serious. I noticed. "But we came to tell you something in person. Or rather, I came to tell you something in person. I need to talk to you in private, Sakura. We'll be here for tonight and tomorrow night, but your mother and I leave the day after early in the morning."

I closed my eyes and nodded, not saying anything about the exams. "I guess the training session is over, Kakashi-sensei?" I asked Kakashi-sensei. He nodded, seeming a little curious but said nothing.

"Tou-san, come with me. We can talk back at the house." I said.

"Sakura, come for training tomorrow! You're being let off early to practice for the performances for the rest of the week!" Shisui called. I knew what that meant. Itachi would be pushing me to my limit…

"Ok!" I called. I brought father to the house, and we spoke in my room, after I closed the blinds and locked the doors, leaving the lights on.

"So what is it?" I asked.

"I found a necklace that I lost a long time ago. It was also from the clan… but my grandmother also had something to do with it… She wore it long ago… but I forgot I lost it, until I found it when I was cleaning your mother's and my room. I needed to give this to you… and I also want to tell you to stay safe Sakura… I know that being a ninja means putting yourself in danger. I've heard from your cousins about your enemy in these exams… I heard about the results of the victim that he defeated… I just want you to know that we both love you so much..." Father said. I smiled.

"Arigatou… Tou-san… but you know, I've always been with you, in here." I said pointing at his heart. "But I have the advantage in fighting him. I know his abilities are much slower than mine. My specialty is speed. Don't worry. I have it all under control. I promise I'll even come to visit home in a few months if I can." I said. Father looked up and smiled.

"I know I can always trust you to keep your word, so I'll hold you to that promise." He said. I nodded with a grin.

"I won't go back on my word. That's my nindo, my ninja way." I said grinning. Naruto had really taught me that. I wouldn't go back on my word now. I swore to myself I would protect this world and make everyone happy…

Father dropped the necklace into my hand. It had a crystal that was shaped in a snow flake with a ring of metal around it. It seemed to have a light blue glow. I could feel a strange power surrounding it. I put it around my neck and I was surprised when I could feel a strange power running through me. I smiled lightly and looked down at the glowing crystal, lifting it into view.

"It looks good on you. Good luck Sakura. Stay safe." Father said hugging me. I nodded and hugged him back, thanking him. Mother came back with a bunch of new clothes along with Mikoto and Kushina. They were all giggling and laughing like friends.

"Did you have fun, Kaa-chan?" I asked.

"This village is amazing! I have so much to bring back home for everyone!" She said smiling happily.

"Arigatou Kushina-san, Mikoto-san." I thanked them for taking her out and touring her around and letting her have fun.

"It's just Mikoto, dear! You don't need to be so formal all the time! I've told you that haven't I? Even Shisui calls me Kaa-chan! Oh that reminds me, Tomorrow, you absolutely must come over for dinner! All of you!" Mikoto said ruffling my hair.

"It's the same for me, dattebane! No -sanning!" Kushina said.

"Hai hai!" I said laughing a little.

"Oh, Akane! Shisui asked me to give you this! Itachi's got his own copy of them waiting on his bed at home." Mikoto said with a giggle. Kushina was grinning like crazy as Mikoto handed Akane a package. Akane opened it and blushed like a cherry. I smirked. I had told him to take pictures of their date and spy on them, because I had a feeling the two of them were going on a date.

"Lemme see!" Asami jumped and grabbed the package from Akane's hands suddenly. Akane was still blushing and Kaa-chan, Asami, Miyuki and I all giggled and laughed at the cute pictures and we squealed at the kiss picture at the end of the date along with the pictures of Itachi feeding Akane.

Mikoto and Kushina left and I went to sleep. The next morning I woke up. Father and Mother were at the table and Akane was making breakfast with Miyuki half asleep at the table. Asami hadn't woken up yet. I grabbed my breakfast and sat down.

"So when are you training till?" Akane asked.

"Till I get let off the hook by your boyfriend… He's a slave driver…" I said. Akane blushed at the word and froze. I laughed. "Well, it's true." I said, quickly shoving my breakfast down my throat and downing it all in a couple of seconds with a cup of milk and sighing. Kaa-chan and Tou-san stared at me while Miyuki didn't even mind it. It'd become a normal thing for me, and they didn't mind it anymore.

I got up. "I'll be home to practice for the performance at the end of the week later. See ya." I said before flickering out of the house and heading to the training grounds. Itachi greeted me and we started training. My water manipulation and my jutsu were both much stronger. I could feel it draining less of my energy and I was surprised. I was much closer to coming into sync with Hyourinmaru as well… I believed it was the crystal… The feeling had flowed through me when I had put on the necklace.

I got home and we practiced for the performance in the basement of the house. Mother and Father also watched as well. We had gotten the song down quite well by the time we were to go over to the Uchiha compound to have dinner. Yuki wanted to go as well, and in the end I ended up bringing her. I couldn't resist the look in her eyes. After she had lain down on the bed and flattened her ears against her head, looking up at me, I couldn't resist wanting to bring her along…

She was currently in my arms being petted by my mother, who absolutely adored her. Yuki didn't mind it, merely purring in the comfort of my arms.

We had finally gotten to the Uchiha compound and Kakashi and Sasuke popped up in the garden with the body flicker. I wasn't surprised. It was the faster way to get around after all… "Yo." Kakashi said. Naruto twitched.

"YOU'RE LATE!" He greeted Kakashi. I sweat dropped. My parents were laughing lightly having been introduced to Jiraiya. My mother had slapped him with a random pan that had popped into her hand when he started checking her out. Mikoto and Kushina had been laughing when Jiraiya went unconscious with a bloody nose. The men were chuckling lightly. My parents had also been introduced to granny cat, who was surrounded by cats as usual. My mother absolutely adored cats, but she wasn't able to train them, and they ended up destroying furniture a lot, so she didn't have a cat.

"So how has your training been going, Sakura? I do worry after hearing about your opponent and the victim of that boy… Rock Lee… I feel bad for him… Do you think you're ready for the match?" Granny Cat asked. I saw the glint in her eyes and knew she knew I was training with Itachi.

"My training's been great! Well. You can't really be prepared perfectly but I've prepared as much as I possibly could for the match." I said. Granny smiled.

"I do wish you luck. Yuki seems quite attached to you now." Granny said.

"Yes. She's always been waiting for me to get back home… You should have seen her begging me to take her with me tonight. I couldn't resist her cuteness." I said sweat dropping. Kaa-chan laughed.

"Yes, it was quite cute!" She said smiling.

We talked and had fun. I let my parents hang around with the adults while I hung around in the gardens with Yuki in my lap. She was purring like a motor after I gave her a belly rub and let her lay in my lap. I was scratching behind her eyes at the moment.

"Sakura?"

I looked back to see Sasuke nearby.

"Oh hey." I greeted. He walked to my side.

"Do you mind?" He asked, gesturing to the spot next to me.

"Go ahead." I said. He sat down and we both looked across the gardens. He seemed to look serious… and worried.

"Sakura… I'm worried… Lee's injuries were so serious… I… I don't want that to happen to you… He might be even stronger than the last time…" Sasuke said shyly looking away. I laughed lightly.

"Sasuke-kun… I know you're all worried. I can tell everyone around me is a little frightened and scared for me… but when I say this I mean it. I won't die, and I won't be too badly injured. Besides, I'm betting you, that if I actually decided to go full out, I'd probably win, so you guys have to win as well. Worry about your own battles before you worry about mine." I said. Sasuke looked away.

We stayed silent for a while. I knew our parents, along with Naruto's parents, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Shisui, Itachi, and Naruto were listening in on us. They had been listening in from the start.

"I can still remember the mission to the land of waves. I was worried... " He said quietly.

I gave a light smile. "I know." I said softly. I knew I couldn't promise him anything. He knew that as well. All we could do was train as hard as we could and fight to protect ourselves. I looked to the moon and closed my eyes. I felt bad… thinking back to my past life… Sasuke, Naruto… Everyone… I had left them behind… I knew the pain of being left behind quite well... It was so ironic… I smiled.

"Why do you look so calm?" He asked. I looked at him in surprise. "How is it that you're so calm even when you're fighting that guy?! He tried to kill Lee, even after the battle was over… How can you just… smile like that?" He asked.

"Well… I guess when I think of all the people supporting me… I feel their strength… They believe in me." I said smiling lightly. "Besides, you should know by now I can take care of myself."

Sasuke looked down. "I… I'm just…" He stopped. He turned to me. "Sakura!" He said. I saw the sad, frightened, and worried look in his eyes. He looked down at his hands which he had started to unconsciously squeeze into fists. I knew he was extremely worried… I knew what he felt. It was exactly what I had felt when he had disappeared from the hospital for so long and I knew he was fighting Gaara. Not only that, but I had been worried about Orochimaru at the time as well. I sighed and hugged him. He stiffened in surprise.

"I'll be ok. I promise." I said. He seemed to breathe deeply before hugging me back. "You know, in the academy, you were really fun to tease. I knew you were jealous of the attention I got from your brother, but after a while, we got pretty close. We were like best friends." I said.

Sasuke smiled and remembered the academy days before huffing. "You were really annoying back then!" He growled playfully. I laughed it off, knowing I had been pretty annoying. After all, most of the time, I would always tease him or start an argument with him. I smiled.

"Then we got into the same team. To tell the truth, even though you were a little annoying, I was pretty happy since I would get to annoy you more." I said with a grin. He glared. I snickered. "And then that mission in the land of the waves… I was worried for you when I was the needles coming at you, and my body just moved by itself…" I said. He seemed sad.

"I was frightened… when I saw you go unconscious… I thought you were gone." He murmured. I looked at him and took one of his hands, and squeezed it. He looked at me and smiled lightly. I smiled back.

"After I woke up, everyone was there, by my side… Team 7… I felt that I could trust everyone with my life." I said with a smile. Sasuke seemed to smile lightly. "and then we entered the Chunnin exams… and fought that guy, Orochimaru... and I fought someone else… but you know… I could always feel you guys. Your strength was like my own. I believe in you all." I said.

"I… I believe in you too." Sasuke said. I smiled.

"Then trust me, when I say I'm ready, ok?" I asked. He nodded. I smiled. "You know. There was always this one thing bothering me about Team 7." I said.

"What?" He asked.

"We were a weird group. I mean, who put together a group with all kinds of problems. You've got a huge ego, Naruto's got no brain, Kakashi has no sense of time what so ever, and I have pink hair." I said.

"Sakura-chan! You're so mean!" Naruto whined. We looked to see everyone behind the door which Naruto had slammed open. I laughed, and everyone looked a little annoyed at Naruto.

"I so do not have an ego!" Sasuke protested.

"Sure!" I said with a grin on my face. Sasuke pouted.

"Sakura!" Sasuke whined. I laughed at him. "Shut up already!" He whined childishly. I could only continue to laugh. Everyone was laughing before they went to tend to their own business.

"So how have your guitar playing skills been going?" I asked.

"I practice whenever I can. Usually when I have a break and when Kakashi's gone to do something… It's a little embarrassing playing with someone listening. He knows I play and gives me time during my breaks to practice." Sasuke said. I smiled.

"That's good. Maybe one day you can play with me and my cousins on stage." I said grinning.

"It'll be soon! I'm getting pretty good!" Sasuke said, proudly. I laughed.

"You do have an ego." I said grinning. He pouted and glared playfully. We all laughed and had fun for the night, and split up when the time came, going back home.

The next morning, I met with Shisui for training after I had said good bye to my parents, since they were leaving. We had 4 more days before the final competition. I continued to train for the finals and practice for the performance.

My speed had built up and I was much closer to Shisui's speed without my weights, faster than Lee had been when he first fought Gaara, and that was without my kekei genkai… If I activated my kekei genkai, I was slightly faster than Shisui.

I had also learned to use the chain to wrap around objects or enemy limbs with Itachi in my last training session. It would also freeze the limb or the object if I wanted it to. I could control the power of the freezing ability and turn it on or off if I wanted to. I was close to coming into perfect sync with Hyourinmaru. My ability to send out the ice dragon from the blade was almost perfected.

The wind technique I used to create the yellow Chidori took a bit of time to prepare, like Sasuke had learned to use his Chidori for the first time. I had named it "Seiha (Static Blade)". It made electric shocking sounds but it wasn't as loud as either the Raikiri or Chidori, also allowing the user to use it as a powerful stealth assassination move. It wasn't as destructive as the Chidori or Raikiri but its piercing power was double the amount.

Shisui had also learned to use the technique as well, but got me to name it instead because apparently he was bad with naming things. Like the Chidori and Raikiri, it was like a jab, but the speed that I used the attack at would make the attack more powerful due to the friction of the air. I had to keep my kekei genkai activated as well, to make sure I would be able to dodge in coming attacks.

I was able to keep up in Room 13 for 5 full minutes untouched. I would get a small cut after 5 minutes or so for being careless. Itachi himself had told me that most Chunnin could only last about 3 minutes within the room and that was without getting badly wounded. My evasive skill was high above average Chunnin level, and just above a low Jounnin level.

I fought with Shisui and we went full out. Shisui had his sharingan activated as well. I had been pretty surprised when I managed to keep up with him for 3 minutes without getting wounded at all before we were both starting to get wounded. He managed to win our battle after just under 5 minutes. Both Anbu praised my progress and treated me as an equal. I felt extremely proud being acknowledged by two of the best ninja in our village and treated as an equal. I knew not to let it get to my head of course.

I finally gained full control of Hyourinmaru's power on the last day of training and Shisui allowed me to go, telling me to meet him after the performance later that night at 11:00, in my training outfit and meet him at the training rooms, and I would do my meditation elsewhere. I helped my cousins set up and everyone was gathering at the area of the concert.

* * *

I could tell everyone I knew was around. The Konoha 12, their senseis, some of the parents, Rock Lee and Gai with a few medical ninja to keep an eye on them, and also the Uchiha Family of course, had come to watch the concert. I was surprised when I sensed Tsunade and Shizune had shown up as well. Gaara and his team had come as well. Everyone was waiting patiently for the concert to start.

My cousins and I all wore black outfits, and were hidden under the blanket of darkness. The stars sparkled in the night sky. We could see each other in the darkness. "Ready?" I whispered so that only they could hear. I had my own guitar strapped to me and I stood at the microphone. They nodded. Miyuki nodded and started with her drums. The lights flashed on as we all joined in and started playing.

**Mou gaman bakka shiterannai yo **_**(**__**My patience is running out**__**)**_**  
Iitai koto wa iwanakucha **_**(**__**I want to say what I wanna say)**_**  
Kaerimichi yuugure no basutei**_**(**__**Coming home from the bus stop at twilight**__**)**__**  
**_**Ochikonda senaka ni Bye Bye Bye **_**(Saying bye bye bye to sad backs of others)**_

**Kimi no Fighting Pose misenakya oh oh **_**(You gotta show you Fighting Pose oh oh)**_

The crowd started clapping to the quick beat of the song, along with the drums that kept the beat. Everyone was cheering. I was grinning as I sang out to the crowd.

**Yume ni made mita you na sekai wa **_**(**__**A world like I have seen in my dreams)  
**_**Arasoi mo naku heiwa na nichijou **_**(**__**Without conflict, just daily peace)  
**_**Demo genjitsu wa hibi to rabu de**_**(**__**But in reality, I tend to worry about)  
**_**Tama ni kuyandari shiteru **_**(Troubles and the daily grind)  
**_**Sonna Rolling Days **_**(Those Rolling Days)**_

**Koronjattatte iin ja nai no **_**(**__**Even though you keep on falling)**_**  
Son toki wa waratte ageru **_**(You laugh and get up every time)  
**_**Norikonda basu no oku kara **_**(As I board the vacant back of the bus)**_**  
Chiisaku hohoemi ga mieta **_**(You flash me a small smile)**_

**Kimi wo tayori ni shiteru yo **_**(I must place my trust in you)**_

**Yume ni made mita you na Sweet Love **_**(Sweet love like I have seen in my dream)**_**  
Koibitotachi wa kakure ga wo sagasu no **_**(Lovers searching for hidden refuge)**_**  
Demo genjitsu wa aenai hi ga **_**(But in reality, on the days we cannot meet)**_**  
Tsuzukinagara mo shinjiteru no Lonely Days **_**(Continue on but I believe in Lonely Days)**_

**Oh yeah, yeah...  
Tsumazuitatte Way to go **_**(Even if you stumble, Way to go)**__**  
**_**Yeah, yay… ****  
Dorodoroke Rolling Star! **_**(A muddled Rolling Star)**_

My cousins had fun with their playing, twirling, and nodding their heads to the beat, moving around the stage for the short instrumental. I did the same as well before getting back to the microphone to sing the next part.

**Naru beku egao de itai keredo **_**(It pains me so to see your smiling face, but)**_**  
Mamori nuku tame ni wa shikata nai deshou **_**(Is there no way to protect you till the end?)**_

**Kitto uso nante sou imi wo motanai no **_**(There is no meaning to this lie, none at all)**_**  
All my loving...****  
Sou ja nakya yatterannai **_**(Without it, I can't go on)**_

**Yume ni made mita you na sekai wa **_**(A world like I have seen in my dreams)**_**  
Arasoi mo naku heiwa na nichijou **_**(Without conflict, just daily peace)**_**  
Demo genjitsu wa hibi to rabu de **_**(But in reality, I tend to worry about)  
**_**Tama ni kuyandari shiteru**_** (Troubles and the daily grind) **_**  
Sonna Rolling Days **_**(Those Rolling Days)**_

**Oh yeah, yeah...  
Sou wakatterutte **_**(Even if you understand it all)**_**  
Oh yay, oh...  
Tsumazuitatte Way to go**_** (Even if you stumble, way to go)**_**  
Yeah, yay…  
Doro doro ke Rolling Star **_**(A muddled rolling star)**_

The crowd roared with applaud and approval. I grinned lightly to my cousins who grinned back. I noticed from the corner of my eye, Tsunade looked extremely impressed as well and amused. Shizune was smiling. I laughed when my cousins hugged me we all bowed and everyone cheered. There were many children who asked for me and my cousin's autographs, which I gave. People wanted to get pictures as well but it was getting late.

"Hey, thanks for coming all of you!" I said smiling to everyone.

"Sakura-chan, you were awesome!" Naruto said.

"Yes. It was amazing! Everyone was cheering…!" Hinata said in agreement.

"Oh my god, I actually get to meet you all! I'm a big fan of you Akane!" Tenten said talking to Akane who seemed to be enjoying her conversation with Tenten.

"Thanks for coming." I said to Lee. He seemed a little down. "Your injuries are getting better I hope? I wish a miracle could happen for you…" I said to Lee. He looked down. Gai looked sad for Lee. "If I ever get someone to train me in the medical field, and teach me to get better at medical ninjutsu, then I swear I'll find a way to heal you." I said with a soft smile. Lee looked up at me in shock.

I knew Tsunade was listening in to us which was why I had said that…

"You're fighting that Sand ninja that beat me, I've heard." Lee said. I nodded. "Do you really think you'll be able to beat him? I was injured… so badly…" He said. I knew everyone was listening in on our conversation. I knew I was ready for Gaara, knowing both his battle techniques when he was both a killing machine and the Kazekage.

I smiled lightly. "Tomorrow, you'll see just what I've been doing with my training under Shisui." I said grinning lightly, flickering my eyes to Itachi in thanks as well. Itachi was by Akane's side, and he smirked lightly and nodded in acknowledgement. I knew the Hokage had noticed and he looked almost shocked. I made eye contact with the Hokage and smiled lightly. He knew I knew that he had noticed.

We parted and I went home readying myself for a night of training…

I had a feeling that this meditation was more than just connecting with Hyourinmaru…

The feeling I had gotten was correct.

I hadn't even known how much time had gone past until Shisui told me.

I **had **wanted to beat the crap out of him, until we saw Itachi at the arena.

That was when I decided to let Itachi do the work for me.

* * *

**Finally. I get to update! Sadly, next update won't be until mid-december… Hopefully you guys enjoyed this chapter! I didn't want to put it on a cliffy, but it ended up slightly hanging… Keep this on alerts! Thanks! I don't have much to say this time...  
**

**BY THE WAY. PHYSICS IN SCHOOL IS EVIL. I DON'T RECOMMEND TAKING IT UNLESS YOU'RE A "GOD" in MATH.**

That's all I guess. LOL. Ok. later peeps.


	12. Chapter 11: To Discover New Powers

**OMG. LOL. I can't believe I finally updated! I'm SO LATE. LOL. My plan was to update on the 21st, since it was my last day of school, but I was forced to take the knowledge test for the drivers test on monday, so I had to study... I AM SO SORRY. Hopefully I can do about 2 more chapters by the end of this week. We'll see.**

**OKIE THEN.**

I'm doing to do short responses cuz I'm really really out of it at the moment. btw, anyone playing maplestory? let me know what world you play in and ur character name!

Responses in alphabetical order!

* * *

**akira-chan101: hahah! here's your next update!**

**anime-is-my-heart-and-soul: hahahah! just put them in! it's ok! I actually like reading requests and seeing if I can actually twist the storyline I plan out slightly to put them in! **

**Arandomkonohaninja: Hahaha! Here's your next chappie!**

**bluebaby: Awww! Thank you! Please keep reviewing!**

**Gasanechi: Really? I'm so honored! haha! OMG. You are like a mind-reader! lonlonjp is soooo awesome. his songs are amazing! some of those songs I got from him. others were from just random links! I should really mention the names. I keep forgetting! here's your next chapter! XD**

******hellokitty: SOO SORRY! I GOT SO BUSY! I REALLY WANTED TO UPDATE! Here's your next chapter!**

**IN LOVE W THIS: haha! Thanks! OMG... Your comments are making me blush, because I don't really think I'm that great of a writer. I make a lot of mistakes without realizing that I do. HERE'S YOUR NEXT UPDATE!**

**KittyLover 3 06: HAHAHA. I LOVE CATS TOOO! Specifically kittens. They're just SOOOOOO CUTE! **

**LadyCalus: Really? haha. Yeah. Sasuke is really irritating to me, kinda. he's crazy, insane, and I have no idea what he's thinking or doing right now in the manga. **

**Lady Syndra: HI~! I FINALLY UPDATED!**

**LoverForAnime: Thanks! here's your update this time!**

**mischeif maker: thanks. Yes. Physics is horrible. Even worse, I have a very very scary teacher, and she loves picking on everyone. Also, her hand writing is illegible, and we have to copy her notes all the time from the board.**

**MiyatheEarthninja: Ok! OK! Hahah. here's the fight!**

**PinkTrinityRose12: AWWW... I'm so happy when I read your review! Yeah. Sode no Shiraiyuki is kinda like Hyourinmaru linked as well. As for Tsunade... MAYBE... I need to go back and reread everything cuz my plan has changed slightly. XD Thanks for the review~!**

**too addicted to fiction: OMG. Thanks! I love making Sasuke all sweet and embarassed. It's kinda cute. I loved his childish personality too when he was a child. His brotherly moments with Itachi were SOOOO ADORABLE!**

**Twisted Musalih: Thanks! XD Hope you continue to review!**

* * *

Legend:

"_Thought"  
_"Speech"_  
__"Spirit/God/Goddess/Any spiritual-like being"__**  
"Demon/Tailed Beast"  
**_**"Emphasis"  
**Japanese name/catchword (Translation)  
**Singing**_**(Translation)**_

– Point of View P.O.V. – (Place)  
Chapter Number: Chapter Title

* * *

Chapter Eleven: To Discover New Powers…

– Sakura's P.O.V. – (Konoha Village)

That night after the concert, I changed into my training clothes and slept until my alarm rang through the night. The exams were in the afternoon at 3:00 the next day. I knew my cousins were asleep after the concert they had looked extremely happy and exhausted… I left a note on the table saying I had left for training which they would see the next morning.

I walked through the house at night and Yuki got up from her sleeping area on the couch, mewling in question at me. I scratched her behind the ears and asked her to go back to sleep. I had a feeling this meditation would be much longer than we thought.

I met with Shisui and we went behind the Hokage Mountains, into a large cave. We sat down, and I closed my eyes, meditating, and allowing my energy to come into sync with Hyourinmaru.

* * *

– Sakura's P.O.V. – (Hyourinmaru's Dimension)

Unlike the last time I had connected with Hyourinmaru, this time I had Hyourinmaru as my blade. The dragon was nowhere to be seen. I stood up and looked at Hyourinmaru's sword in my hand. If Hyourinmaru was my blade, I knew he would only be able to have one form… I closed my eyes and concentrated on the blade, awakening the blade.

"Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru!" I called. The blade glowed and changed to Hyourinmaru's awakened from. I heard his voice within my mind.

"_It seems that you have finally learned to use that attack at will… I will give you some new information about why I asked you to meditate when you've finally learned to do so… but you must learn to manifest my true form from the blade. I will have my own form but the blade will retain its power. This form of the blade is merely my Shikai, my first form of awakening." _Hyourinmaru said within my mind.

I closed my eyes and concentrated on the blade's power trying to separate the feeling of the power from Hyourinmaru's consciousness. I opened my eyes and could see the cold vapors coming off of the blade. I tried splitting Hyourinmaru's consciousness with my chakra but I lost hold of the different parts.

"_You were a quarter of the way there. My consciousness is more than just my knowledge, but a part of my power as well. You have a part of my power within you which allows you to use that attack. Feel my power and your powers apart." _

I tried once again.

And again.

* * *

– Normal P.O.V. – (Konoha Village – Chuunin Exams Stadium)

Sasuke walked into the arena with his parents and brother. Itachi seemed to be a little surprised having not seen Shisui for the morning. Usually, his cousin would have come to irritated him with his idiotic jokes by then. Itachi narrowed his eyes noticing Sakura was not within the arena as well. Kakashi was walking beside them as well.

Meanwhile, Naruto met with Hinata, and the two of them had been nervously talking to each other, while his parents left him to his own business. Naruto had been a little depressed in the morning, but Hinata had cheered him up. He had been finally brave enough to show that he liked Hinata, and asked her to watch him defeat Neji before catching up to his parents and heading to the arena. They met up with Sasuke and his family at the arena entrance.

"Hey, where's Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

Minato looked to Itachi, who shook his head. "Hm… She's not here… That's not good… Many people wanted to see her battle…" Minato said tapping his chin a little worriedly.

"Ehh? Really?" Naruto asked. Sasuke looked curious.

"She's battling against the Kazekage's son. The only Leaf Kunoichi participating against the Kazekage's son. Many people didn't seem interested, but it seems a certain rumor has spread about her training with two of the best in the village… The Night guards have been talking." Minato said. Itachi showed no reaction of course to hide the fact that he had been training Sakura from the other participants, but he was worried about Sakura and Shisui. Where in the world were they?

Everyone but Sakura had shown up, and Sasuke frowned. Sakura wouldn't just disappear and leave them hanging. Especially after showing her strength that day of training… so… where in the world was she?

* * *

The Hokage and his wife went up to the watching area, and the Third Hokage appeared by his side acting as an Anbu guard. They had both agreed that Orochimaru would attempt to assassinate the Fourth Hokage, and the Third Hokage wanted to take care of his old student as a last attempt to change his rogue student's ways… The Fourth greeted the Third with a nod, knowing they had to keep up their guard and keep an eye out for Orochimaru.

The 11 participants lined up, while Sasuke and Naruto looked around for Sakura. "Sakura-chan…" Naruto murmured slightly worriedly. Sasuke was worried. He had seen the look in the man, Orochimaru's eye, when Sakura had been fighting… It wasn't only Sasuke's power he was after. He looked interested in Sakura as well. He could only wish that she would show up for her match.

"Hey, quit fidgeting. Stand up straight and present yourselves proudly to the spectators." Genma said with the tooth pick in his mouth. Naruto looked up with Sasuke and noticed that many of the higher ups were there and many well-known clans were looking down at them expectantly. "You guys are the heroes of this final competition." Genma said.

* * *

Minato looked to a jounnin who had appeared by his side. "No sign of Haruno Sakura?" Minato asked.

"No. A team of Anbu Black Ops had been sent to look out for her but so far, they've found nothing… There were suspicions of Orochimaru's interest in her after the questioning of Uchiha Sasuke. It seems her cousins didn't know that she went missing late last night after her concert, and a note was left on the table. They are here and hoping that she will turn up soon." The jounnin said.

Minato looked down. "And has there been anything else I need to know?" Minato asked.

"Uchiha Shisui seemed to have gone missing around the same time. He hasn't been seen since last night. We suspect that he may have something to do with her disappearance…" The jounnin said.

"I see…" Minato said looking down. He looked to see the Kazekage and gave the Kazekage his greetings with a kind smile. "Welcome all and we give our deepest thanks for coming here to the village hidden in the leaves for this year's chunnin selection! We have come to the final competition between the 13 candidates who made it through the preliminarys! We ask that no one leaves until all of the matches have been completed, now everyone enjoy!" The fourth said. The crowds cheered.

"Hm… It seems those rumors about the one being trained by the best… She's the one who's missing isn't she?" The Kazekage asked. Minato nodded looking back at the candidates with a slightly worried look.

* * *

"Uh. Question." Naruto said.

"What is it?" Genma asked.

"I was… uh… Just wondering, what'll happen to Sakura?" Naruto asked worriedly. "I mean if she doesn't show up…" Naruto said.

"If a candidate is not here in the arena at the time their name is called they forfeit the match." Genma said. He seemed a little disappointed… He'd heard after all, that the slave driver Captain had trained her… There were rumors that Shisui and the Captain had trained her spreading since the last night.

"Where is Sakura…" Akane murmured from her seat worriedly. Miyuki and Asami were both sitting beside Akane, feeling the same worry. They hadn't seen her since last night, and her blades and clothes were gone as well... in the morning… What had happened to her?

"Alright, listen up. The terrains different, but the rules are the same as before, that is that there are no rules. The match continues until one candidate acknowledges defeat or dies… The bein' said I can step in in a match and stop it at any time, and no arguments permitted. Understood? These are the opponents for the first match, Naruto Uzumaki… and Neji Hyuuga. Those two stay, the rest of you can go to the waiting area." Genma said.

Naruto and Neji walked to the centre of the stadium, staring each other down, while everyone else went up to the waiting area. Sasuke put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto... You'd better win." Sasuke said.

"Heh. Same to you!" Naruto said grinning. Sasuke smirked before leaving Naruto to his battle and going up the stairs with the other ninja.

* * *

Kiba and Hinata had shown up and met up with the others from the Rookie 9, along with Sakura's cousins, and the sensei, as well as Team Gai. They had been given permission to stay in the reserved area, being friends of Team 7. Even if Hinata was the heiress to the Hyuuga clan she decided to sit with her friends rather than her clan.

Naruto did his little speech to Neji, like he'd done in the preliminaries with a glare on his face. The wind swirled around the stadium like it was blowing to flow with Naruto's own anger at Neji for beating Hinata down.

"Alright. Now let the first match, BEGIN!" Genma's voice echoed through the stadium and everyone cheered. The stood still for a few seconds before Neji edged forwards twice. Then Naruto threw his kunai and dashed forwards with a punch. Neji pushed his punch away with his palm and Naruto flipped away in the air. Minato watched his son warily. Kushina was biting her nails in anticipation. Naruto was almost hit but Neji missed. Naruto rolled back.

"Do you understand now? You have no way of defeating me." Neji said. Naruto smirked and huffed.

"Get real! I was only checking you out. That's all." Naruto said. Neji grunted in response and Naruto got up with that determined look in his eye. "Ok. Now that we're warmed up... We can get started." Naruto said with a grin on his face and a glint in his eye. Kushina cheered when Naruto used his shadow clones. Many people starting to get interested, seeing Naruto use a jounnin level technique.

Neji blocked all of Naruto's blows and dodged them defeating Naruto's clones. Neji made his destiny speech and Naruto denied Neji's speech, creating more clones. Neji was easily able to destroy the many clones and dodge their attacks. Then he was tricked my Naruto's strategy of holding his clone back to lure him into a trap. Naruto landed a punch on Neji, but Neji used his Hakkeshou Kaiten (Eight Trigrams Rotation).

"This is the end, for you. You're in range and you can't escape my eight trigrams." Neji said getting into stance. "Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty Four Palms…" Neji said with a smirk. He performed his attack and Kushina gasped worriedly for her son. Minato winced for his son. The pain of getting your organs attacked was brutal… Naruto's chakra was sealed… Minato knew it was over for his son… but Naruto didn't know how to give up.

Genma walked up and eyed Naruto. "Looks like it's over…" He said. Sasuke stared at Naruto knowing well enough that Naruto would get up sooner or later, not knowing how to give up. Naruto got up.

"I have struck all 361 of your chakra points. You're lucky to still be breathing." Neji said with a smirk. "Well, must be frustrating. To realize how utterly hopeless it all was, this dream of yours. You thought you could succeed through hard work alone. That's only an illusion." Neji said.

* * *

Kushina growled at Neji's words angrily and yelled at Naruto, her hair flowing around her. The Red Habanero had awakened. Minato sweat dropped and smiled awkwardly as his wife yelled down at her son for everyone to hear. "NARUTO! GET UP! I WILL BEAT THE HELL OUT OF YOU IF YOU DON'T WIN!" Kushina yelled. No one dared to make a sound, knowing the evil anger of the former jinchuuriki of the nine tailed fox. Naruto gritted his teeth and got up, his vision blurry, hearing his mother's voice.

Remembering Lee and Hinata fighting for their lives in the preliminaries but losing… He gritted his teeth and breathed heavily. Neji stared at Naruto, looking at him in shock. It seemed impossible.

"Stop this madness. You'll only get more of the same. I have nothing against you personally." Neji said.

"Hah. That's touching. You're gonna make me cry!" Naruto sneered sarcastically. "Anyway, I've got plenty against you."

The two of them started arguing about the Hyuuga clan and Neji told the story. Everyone in the stadium could hear and listen to the story. It was sad, but Naruto didn't give up. Neji covered his forehead with his head band getting into his stances again, and hitting Naruto with his gentle fist once again telling the proctor to end the match, before calling Naruto a failure and walking away.

Naruto got up once again. His mother cheered loudly. Naruto gave his speech. "Wa-wait… Don't walk away from me. I'm not done yet. I don't quit and I don't go back on my word. That's my nindo, my ninja way!" Naruto said, holding to his stomach, and panting heavily, barely able to stand.

"Hmph. I've heard those words before." Neji said smirking.

"You and your stupid destiny. Well, if you really believe it, why are you the one walking away?" Naruto growled. Everyone watched, extremely interested in the battle, amazed at how Naruto continued to get up.

"You impudent little brat… Why waste my breath explaining it to you? We are all given a destiny at birth, and it's pointless to fight against it! You don't know what it's like to be branded with a mark that sets you apart. A mark that can never be wiped away!" Neji accused.

* * *

Kushina growled. She wanted to beat this boy for insulting her son like that. She knew and her son knew that feeling. They had been set apart from the village… being the Jinchuuriki containers of the nine tailed fox. Maybe most acted kind to them because they were family to the fourth Hokage, but she could feel the glares sent to her and her son from time to time.

Naruto panted heavily. "Oh yeah… I know what that's like… Well…? Big deal… Who cares." Naruto said with a week grin.

"You… worthless… little…" Neji growled.

"Man… You think you've got troubles…? I've got news for you Neji, you're not the only special one around here. Did you ever think that Hinata might be suffering just as much as you are? It's not her fault her father was born first! But you resented her for it. You disrespected her even when she was trying so hard to improve herself. All she wanted was your respect. That's what she was fighting for, even though it almost killed her! And what was that all about anyways? I thought it was your destiny to serve the main household, not to beat it to a bloody pulp! After all you said about how you can't fight your own destiny, you don't really believe in it either, do you!?" Naruto growled.

"Naruto…" Hinata said in shock and amazement. She felt so happy, hearing how Naruto had recognized her wish without her even saying anything. Naruto had seen her the moment she fought Neji… She had tears of happiness in the corner of her eyes.

* * *

Naruto coughed, and it looked like even breathing took a lot of effort. "I have blocked all of your chakra points. How are you planning on fighting when you can't use your chakra against me?" Neji asked with a smirk. Genma looked at Naruto. "It's fitting that you sympathize with Hinata because you're about to share her fate!" Neji said activating his Byakugan.

"Oh really? You think that Byakugan of yours sees everything! You know everyone's weakness, right?" Naruto asked.

"That's right. But if you think you're the one who can prove me wrong… Well, be my guest!" Neji said with a smirk.

"You got it! I'm going to show you you're wrong about a lot of things, starting right now!" Naruto growled. He gritted his teeth, before remembering Jiraiya had told him about the nine tailed foxes chakra. He smirked and closed his eyes, calling out to the nine tailed fox within his mind.

"_Ok you stinkin' fox… If you're there… Give me your strength!" _Naruto called out in his thoughts. A pulse of energy flashed through him as the nine tailed fox awakened from its sleep to Naruto's call.

* * *

Minato eyed his son… sensing a strange feeling coming off of his son. He wondered… Naruto seemed to be in less pain suddenly… Could this be the work of the nine tailed fox? Jiraiya had told him Naruto's achievement of controlling the fox's chakra… but had that been just a fluke or had it truly been Naruto's gaining of control over the chakra? Kushina was grinning, feeling that familiar feeling in the air. The powerful chakra that resided in her son had awakened.

"Proctor. This has gone on long enough. I suggest you stop the match. If he's foolish enough to continue to fight, I will not be responsible for what happens to him." Neji said.

"Fine…" Genma said.

"Heh!" Naruto grunted with a smirk. He made a single hand sign of the ram for concentration of his chakra.

"It's pointless, I told you." Neji said with a smirk.

Naruto yelled out, remembering his vow. "Haaaaaa!" _"I can do it!"_

"Why bother. You have no chakra to use."

"_I can do it!" _Naruto thought.

"Why fight a hopeless battle trying to defy your destiny?" Neji asked.

"Cause people called me a failure. I'll prove them wrong!" Naruto growled, still holding up his hand sign. Neji activated his Byakugan once again. The Kyuubi's chakra started leaking out of Naruto's body, flowing through his chakra system. Neji looked shocked, and saw the Kyuubi's image within the chakra. Everyone was shocked to see Naruto back with chakra, or knowing that he had the nine tailed fox within him, shocked to see him able to use the nine tailed fox's chakra.

* * *

Nine red tails of chakra flowed around in the air, twisting through the air, the pressure in the air causing the rocks to float up into the air. The Kyuubi's chakra healed Naruto's wounds and flowered around his body, giving him strength.

"YEAH! GOO NARUTO!" Kushina yelled out cheering. Minato chuckled lightly and leaned back, knowing it was over. The Kyuubi's chakra was under Naruto's control... and Naruto never knew when to give up. They seemed to be evenly matched for the time being, Naruto merely using the chakra for his physical strength…

Naruto and Neji clashed and the stadium exploded with dust and dirt in the air. "It may be the Hyuuga way to cave in to destiny, but it's NOT MINE! If you think it's futile to fight, then don't! JUST STAND THERE AND TAKE IT!" Naruto yelled, charging at Neji. "I'll change the way of the Hyuuga clan, after I become Hokage!" Naruto yelled. Everyone stared, gapping. The ground shook and everyone was unable to take their eyes off the match.

Two holes were formed from Neji's and Naruto's clash. Naruto used his clone as bait and Neji walked to Naruto's crater. The real Naruto had been under ground and pushed through the ground. Genma smiled lightly, seeing the strength of Naruto.

"I should have guessed you'd use the shadow clone jutsu. It's your specialty after all. I was careless…" Neji said.

"For the record, I failed the graduation exam three times… cause there was this one jutsu that was always on the exam, and it tripped me up, every time… It was the one jutsu, I just couldn't master." Naruto said. Everyone listened curiously. "My clones were pathetic." Naruto said. Neji looked at Naruto in shock.

"That's right. I flunked the clone jutsu every time." Naruto said. Neji gritted his teeth. "So don't come whining to me with this destiny stuff… and stop trying to tell me that you can't change what you are. You can do it too, because after all, unlike me, you're not a failure…" Naruto said. Genma smirked and humphed, seeing the truth in Naruto's speech.

"The winner is… Naruto Uzumaki!" Genma said. Slowly, everyone seemed to come back from the shock of seeing Hyuuga Neji get beaten by Naruto, who looked as if he was going to be a failure, even if he was the Hokage's son. Everyone knew just how "skilled" the Hokage's son had been in the academy…

* * *

"YEAH! That's my son!" Kushina cheered. Everyone started clapping and cheering for Naruto, who looked shocked. Naruto grinned happily and ran around, yelling. Genma was smirking, seeing the stamina he had.

"Oh great… Naruto defeated Neji? I can't believe it… and I thought Naruto was the same as me. One of the dorky and uncool guys…" Shikamaru groaned. Sasuke chuckled.

"That idiot always never knew how to lose." Sasuke said smirking. He hadn't used his Sharingan knowing he'd have to conserve his chakra for his own battle.

"Dorky and uncool?" Shino asked.

"Now everyone's saying he's making something big of himself. Just great. I doubt I could beat him now. This is really bad. I've never felt so depressed… What a drag…" Shikamaru groaned.

* * *

The Sensei who were sitting together looked surprised. "He was able to draw up on that chakra all by himself…" Kurenai said in shock.

"Yeah… He's been getting some crazy training…" Asuma said looking to Kakashi.

"I was with Sasuke the whole time. Ask Sensei if you want to know… I don't really mind though. This just means one of my students has beaten Gai's only student in these exams." Kakashi said with a smile. Asuma and Kurenai sweat dropped. Their rivalry was something… Even though Kakashi acted like he didn't care much… He fought to win anyways…

* * *

After the cheering was over, the audience was yelling about seeing the next match. The Kazekage chuckled. "This crowd is certainly energized…"

"Of course… It was an amazing fight… My son won… I'm pretty relieved…" The fourth said with a sigh. The Kazekage chuckled.

"That too of course… but it's also anticipation… It's likely that the Shinobi Leaders, feudal lords, and other spectators have heard the rumors about that Leaf Kunoichi… and they're looking forward to this match more than anything…" The Kazekage said. "She has arrived already… hasn't she?"

"Um… Well…" Minato smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of his head, chuckling lightly.

The jounnin appeared by his side. "There's been no news of Haruno Sakura… Disqualify her before things get out of hand, Hokage-sama…"

"Sakura… Where are you…?" Sasuke murmured worriedly.

"That Sakura… what in the world is she doing?" Shikamaru murmured.

"A wise ninja never attracts danger leading to a wise decision…" Shino said.

"Huh? What're you talking about, Sakura-chan will show up for sure! Believe it!" Naruto said grinning. Naruto glared at Gaara, who looked back at Naruto with a dark look in his eye… The two jinchuuriki stared at each other. Shikamaru blinked, noticing the tension between the two. Naruto looked down at the stage. What in the world was she doing? Where was she?

"I have no choice… Haruno Sakura, is disqualified." Minato said closing his eyes. The Kazekage made a point saying he wanted to see her match. "Haruno Sakura is a foreigner to the Leaf Village, but she has been rumored to be trained by the best of the Leaf Village. Many of the higher ranking nobles including myself came merely to see this battle… It would be especially disappointing if she were to be disqualified so early." The Kazekage said.

Minato sighed. He too wanted to see just what she had been doing, training under Itachi. "Very well then. We shall make a special exception and postpone this match… Inform the proctor." Minato said. The jounnin nodded and flickered to Genma's side, letting him know the match was postponed. The announcement was made.

* * *

Tsunade Senju, who was sitting in a seat in the front row, frowned. That girl wasn't here? Why in the world was she late anyways? She didn't seem like the type that would be extremely late... or the type that would give up… Hm… She would just have to wait until the match came…

"Just what in the world could Sakura be doing anyways?" Asuma asked, wincing at the loud angry roar of the crowd. Ino sighed in relief. Chouji looked at Ino in surprise.

"Why are you so relieved, Ino?" Chouji asked.

"Well… I kind of admire her for being strong, and you know, she was really nice to me after the match, like we were real friends… I feel like we were always friends from the beginning… and I just didn't want her out of the competition so soon." Ino said.

"Sakura…" Hinata murmured worriedly.

"Where the hell is she anyways?" Kiba asked.

Shino and Kankurou were called down, but Kankurou forfeited. Shino looked at Kankurou, suspecting that something was going on, noticing the facial expression on Kankurou's face. The crowd roared in anger. Sasuke went down and Dosu walked down to the stadium as well. The crowd quieted, seeing an Uchiha in battle wasn't so bad.

* * *

Both stood before each other, ready to battle. Genma made the signal and Sasuke dodged Dosu's blows continuously with his Sharingan on. "Is all you can do to fight, dodge?" Dosu taunted. Sasuke dodged and spoke.

"No." Sasuke said smirking, dodging and disappearing before Dosu's eyes. Dosu looked shocked.

"W-what?" He asked in shock. Dosu swung his arm past Sasuke's head and Sasuke yelled out in pain covering his ear, swaying dizzily and falling to the ground with his Sharingan on, glaring at Dosu. Dosu smirked and walked up to Sasuke, when suddenly, Sasuke smirked and kicked Dosu away into the trees. Dosu groaned in pain.

"W-what…? You shouldn't be able to move! My sound waves should have destroyed your ears!" Dosu said getting up shakily from the heavy kick.

"Heh. I came prepared." Sasuke said smirking. Almost everyone looked confused. "You see, I can't hear you right now." Sasuke said.

"What? How are you responding to my questions!?" Dosu asked with a glare. Sasuke smirked and disappeared and attacked.

"My Sharingan allows me to read your lips, and I can hear you through my own mind. You haven't really learned any new tricks… Is your only ability to use sound as an attack?" Sasuke asked, easily using his speed to fight and knock Dosu down. He knew he had to stall for Sakura…

He pushed it until he knew Dosu was at his limit, and held a kunai to Dosu's neck. Dosu held up a hand but smartly mouthed the words that he forfeit, acting as if he was admitting defeat…

* * *

Sasuke walked away with the ear plugs in his ears. Dosu came from behind. Sasuke barely managed to dodge and his eyes widened. He realized Dosu had tricked him and out-smarted his preparation maneuver. That was when he knew he had to knock Dosu out. Sasuke used his taijutsu and ended it with a fire ball jutsu that the proctor dodged and Dosu was hit by. Dosu was on the ground unconscious from the burns. Sasuke looked to Genma with his Sharingan on. He had been lucky he didn't remove the ear plugs. If he had, the match would have been over the moment he had.

Genma announced the match was over himself. "Due to his opponent being unable to continue the match, Uchiha Sasuke moves on to the next round." Genma said. Sasuke pulled out the ear plugs, sighing. Dosu was brought into the infirmary. Naruto jumped down and slapped the Uchiha on the back hard. Sasuke punched Naruto over the head and the two bickered up the stairs. A few of the people who were familiar with the two rookies chuckled, knowing they were bickering about nonsense once again.

* * *

"Whew!" Mikoto breathed a sigh of relief. Itachi nodded in approval of his brother's fight. His speed had increased to that of Lee's speed, but he was nowhere near Sakura's speed. Itachi knew that his brother had been taught the Chidori, and wondered… which of the techniques was stronger… the Seiha, or the Chidori…? He wondered.

The Seiha was like the static electric version of the Raikiri, but it was based on the friction of the air and wind chakra created around the hand… Would the wind chakra bring in the elemental advantage? He couldn't help but wonder curiously and smirk lightly. He frowned. Where was Sakura? She had been gone along with Shisui. Itachi glared.

If the two of them were training, he would make sure to punish them both, after Sakura became a Chunnin. He was quite sure that she would be able to get to Chunnin level. Sakura had a good head on her shoulders. She knew not to be too reckless and fight to the death… Itachi's eye brow twitched. If Sakura lost her chance to become a Chunnin, Shisui would be getting it for the rest of the month in Team training. Sakura would have her own training to do for the next exams…

Sasuke came up to the audience and was greeted by his parents. Itachi nodded with approval, and Sasuke smirked happily. Akane, Asami and Miyuki all looked pretty worried. Naruto had gone back up to the waiting area to watch the next match. Sasuke looked to Akane. "I stalled for as long as I could." Sasuke said. Akane looked to Sasuke in surprise before closing her eyes and smiling lightly.

"Thanks, Sasuke." Akane said.

"She'll show up. She wouldn't forfeit. After all, she managed to scare the crap out of both me and Naruto during our team spar. I'm sure she was holding back." Sasuke said.

"Yeah. You're right. I need to keep my hopes up." Akane said. Itachi looked at his brother in thanks with a light smile. Sasuke grinned at his brother, understanding. Of course, he had some material to use to tease his brother now, which he was happy to use, later on, when his brother didn't look so worried or tense. It seemed Akane really affected his brother… Mikoto smiled softly at the couple. Sasuke headed back to the waiting area.

* * *

The next battle started. Kabuto against Kuragari. Kabuto easily used his medical ninjutsu, showing off minimal skills for an average medical ninja. Kuragari's power was far more powerful though. She blocked Kabuto's weapons with her tuning fork, creating the screeching noise which kept Kabuto from using any hard solid weapons. He managed to use his chakra scalpel and cut off her muscles to her left leg, but she had a blade of lightning...

Her kusanagi blade cut through normal weapons, and she was also able to send lightning chakra through the blade, so when it cut through skin, it wasn't only cutting, but also numbing the area, so that the muscles would freeze up for a while. Kabuto was unable to keep up with her speed, and as a result he was unable to move. Kuragari won her battle in the end.

* * *

Sasuke watched as Temari flew down to the ground on her fan eagerly wanting to start her match. "And you are…?" Genma asked.

"It's my turn right?" Temari asked setting down her fan and putting her hand on her pit with a smirk on her face.

"Well, you're sure an eager one, aren't cha?" Genma asked with a light smile of amusement. "Fine. Let's start the next match then. Hey! You up there. Come down!" Genma called to Shikamaru.

"Aww… Come on! What are you doing moving these matches up like this? Why does it have to be my stupid match that gets pushed up, oh man… This is such a drag!" Shikamaru whined.

"Shikamaru Nara. Come on!" Genma called out.

"Alright! Go on Shikamaru, you can do it!" Naruto said pushing him over the railing. Sasuke stared and sweat dropped. Everyone winced and went silent. Shikamaru found himself on the ground, glaring up at Naruto. Asuma sweat dropped and rubbed his head.

Everyone booed at Shikamaru and threw garbage at him. Shikamaru grumbled to himself about his opponent being spunky, and the crowd being jerks… Temari attacked before Genma started the match and Shikamaru easily dodged. Like in the past, Shikamaru forced Temari to get closer to the hole Naruto had made in the beginning and caught her in his Shadow possession jutsu. He forfeit when he ran out of chakra in the end and Temari won, but all of the judges approved of his match…

Naruto jumped down and started yelling at Shikamaru about forfeiting the match. Sasuke jumped down as well keeping Naruto under control. Then Sasuke realized that it was Sakura's match coming up… and yet she wasn't there yet… She was late… He looked to the doors, wishing she'd show up already…

* * *

– Sakura's P.O.V. – (Hyourinmaru's Dimension)

I was getting closer. I could feel it. I couldn't tell how much time had passed, but I didn't care and focused on summoning Hyourinmaru.

When I finally summoned his true form from the blade, he was before me as a winged ice dragon without legs or arms. He leaned down and I touched his nose gently. His form was powerful and fierce… and yet it was also beautiful.

His thoughts flowed through me.

"_You have finally summoned me. This way, we will be able to fight together… but you must defeat my form in the real world, before I will acknowledge you as my true wielder."_

* * *

– Sakura's P.O.V. – (Hidden Cave)

I found myself within the real world again and noticed the light was cracking through the cave entrance. I had meditated throughout the night but I felt like I had fallen asleep. Shisui had many blankets and was snoring lightly but when I moved, he opened an eye.

"Sheesh! I'm freezing… what the hell was all that about, Hime?" He whined. I blinked and looked around. The whole cave inside had been frozen. I noticed Shisui had put a genjutsu on the cave entrance so no one would find us.

"I did that…?" I asked in shock.

"Yeah. Freaking hell, I was freezing the whole night! You wouldn't wake up no matter how much I tried to get you out of it, like it was impossible to get you out of your mind or something!" Shisui groaned.

"Well… It's going to get a lot colder, sempai. You'll probably want to stand back." I said standing up, and drawing Hyourinmaru… I awakened his Shikai, and summoned his consciousness into the real world. He stared down at me and spoke.

"Let us see if you are truly worthy of being my 2nd master…" He said, an icy breath coming down and freezing the ground. Shisui jumped back closer to the entrance of the cave, to save himself.

The dragon breathed out a blue fire that froze everything. I managed to dodge the blue fire and tried rushing at him from behind but he smacked me away with his tail. I blocked with my arms to keep his tail from doing too much damage but my arms were cut deeply and the wounds were frozen. The blood had frozen and I was gritting my teeth. The freezing had caused the wound to expand.

I yelped in pain when I crashed into the wall from the force of the tail whipping at me. I activated my kekei genkai and used water attacks, but he merely froze my attacks with a single breath. I managed to catch him off guard after sending a large wave of water from melting the frozen ice, and he froze the wave of water as I disappeared, reappearing behind him and kicking him into the wall.

I dodged a blast of icy fire and charged at him, sending out my own ice dragon attack. His breath of icy fire clashed with the dragon and they both exploded with icy particles. I slashed at his wings and he groaned and fell to his side from the pain, unable to move.

I kneeled down to him and touched him. "Sorry." I said softly. He stared at me.

"So… you truly have the spirit of my last master within you… Very well. I will allow you to use my power." He said. I felt him move and surround my body with his own, protectively, his power merging with my own body and I found myself in icy fog, with ice wings and an ice tail, along with an ice claw over my left hand and the dragon's head with red eyes covering my right hand that held Hyourinmaru's blade. My legs were covered with ice claws as well. Above me I had twelve ice petals that created three flowers, with four petals for each flower.

"_This is our bankai form… My second form and most powerful form… Your limit in this form is counted by the petals floating above you. With more training in this form, you will be able to hold out longer, but this ability greatly drains your energy… With this form, I am called Daiguren Hyourinmaru."_

"Bankai… Daiguren Hyourinmaru… (Grand Crimson Lotus Ice Ring)" I spoke.

I noticed that Hyourinmaru's blade hilt had changed from a four pointed star to an eight pointed star. I could feel the power rushing through me. I flew up testing my movements and moved the wings around, getting used to the feeling. I tested out moving the tail, whacking some of the stalagmite rocks. I wrapped my wounded arms with bandages.

"Hey, Saku-chan, you do know that you're really late." Shisui said.

"Ehh…?" I asked staring at him.

"It's like… 4:30 in the afternoon right now. The exams started an hour and a half ago…" He said, sweat dropping. I stared at him with a wordless glare and let my bankai disappear. My chakra hadn't been taken because it was our first awakening… I was conserving the energy reserves. He sweat dropped and knew what I wanted him to do. We flickered to the arena in an instant with his Sharingan.

* * *

– Normal P.O.V. – (Konoha Village)

Everyone was yelling angrily as the match was postponed for another 10 minutes. The crowd was growing angry.

Meanwhile, two figures were walking towards the arena. One of the guards looked out and noticed them. "Hey, is that who I think it is?" One asked.

"Yeah… Yeah it's him alright!" The other said.

* * *

"Sakura-chan! Damn it! If she doesn't show, I swear I'll kill her! She's not allowed to beat me in a training session and run away like this!" Naruto growled angrily in the centre of the arena.

* * *

Back outside the arena at the entrance, the guards welcomed the newcomers. "Welcome, glad you both could make it!"

"Yeah! What a surprise! Go right on in!" The guards said with welcoming smiles on their faces.

"Hmph! Well Lee, ready to go?" Gai asked.

"Yes sir!" Lee said.

"You've missed most of the first round. The only match left is between Haruno Sakura and the Gaara guy." The guard said.

"Huh? But… what happened with Naruto and Neji!?" Lee asked.

"Well. That was the most amazing thing… the Hyuuga kid actually got beat!"

Both Green beasts gapped in shock, unable to comprehend how the knuckleheaded idiot had beaten the gentle fist style user in their team.

"That is something…!" Lee said smiling.

* * *

Within the stadium, everyone was booing and yelling wanting for the next match to start. Naruto and Sasuke were looking around worriedly. "Man this crowd will tear her apart… Seriously… And if they don't I WILL! SHE IS NOT BACKING AWAY LAST SECOND ON ME!" Naruto growled. Sasuke sighed. Naruto seemed to have a bit of a temper now.

Sasuke wondered if he had gotten the temper from Kushina… His mother was a very scary lady when she wanted to be…

2 minutes…

_Sakura?_

1 minute…

_Sakura… Please… hurry…_

30 seconds…

_Where are you!?_

15 seconds…

_Sakura!_

10 seconds…

_Hurry!_

5.

4.

3.

2.

1.

0...

* * *

Suddenly a tornado appeared within the centre of the stadium. Everyone was staring at the centre, gapping. A flash of pink hair was seen through the leaves that swirled up along with the dust.

"Sorry we're late. You wouldn't believe the traffic." Shisui said scratching the back of his head with an awkward grin. The girl behind him sighed in annoyance at the pathetic excuse.

"Have you been hanging around Kakashi-sensei?" She asked.

"Yeah, that idiot has been." Genma said with an amused chuckle. He gave me a serious look "So, you are…?" The girl smirked.

"Haruno Sakura."

* * *

Within the audience, two shinobi walked down the steps. "So we made it in time…" Lee said. Ino looked shocked and Kakashi looked to Gai.

"Rock Lee!" Ino greeted. Akane and her cousins looked curious about the one who had fought their little cousin's opponent. He looked like he was fine, other than the wounds on his arm and leg. The crowd roared with approval at the appearance of the female kunoichi by the side of Uchiha Shisui.

"Heh! So you decided to show up after all! I thought you wouldn't come because sooner or later you'd have to face one of us!" Naruto said, putting an arm over Sasuke's shoulders.

Sasuke grumbled about Naruto being a moron while Shikamaru was thinking to himself in annoyance.

Sakura smiled. "So, what about you two? Did you win?" She asked, knowing their answers would both be in the affirmative of winning their matches.

"You know it!" Naruto said grinning. Sasuke smirked lightly and grunted. Sakura smiled.

"Hehe. Well, you're still both idiots." Sakura said teasingly.

* * *

"What? I'm hurt Sakura. You can call him an idiot because it's true but why me too?" Sasuke whined. Sakura laughed lightly.

Itachi appeared nearby and Shisui sweat dropped, knowing he was in for it.

* * *

– Sakura's P.O.V. – (Chunnin Exams Arena)

"Sorry if we kept you waiting…" He said apologizing to both the proctor and Itachi, more to Itachi in fear though… "But… um… How late are we…? I mean… it's not like… ehhh…. Sakura's disqualified… right?" Shisui asked nervously. I sweat dropped. Now, I felt bad for Shisui. I'd let Itachi beat him up for me.

"Heh. You know, you were so late, that we extended the deadline for you, twice in fact. You're lucky we did because you just made it. No, she's not disqualified." Genma said. Shisui breathed out a loud sigh of relief. "But I'd still be worried because it seems someone's not too happy." Genma said, looking towards Itachi. Shisui sweat dropped. I smirked.

"Well… I should run before he does catch me, shouldn't I?" Shisui asked.

"I don't even know why he hasn't killed you yet." I said lifting a bandaged hand to my face.

"You're lucky that the rumors had spread about you being taught by the slave driver and this idiot." Genma said to me. I nodded lightly in agreement.

"Wait, you had two teachers?" Sasuke asked.

"Me." Itachi said walking up beside me.

"Itachi…" I greeted. He grunted with a soft look in his eyes.

"Nii-san…?" Sasuke said staring. He looked angry at first, but then his face softened. I blinked at him. He smiled in relief. "At least now I know why you seemed so confident." Sasuke said.

"Sasuke…" I said in surprise. I felt a stare glaring at me. I looked up and stared back at Gaara.

"Be careful, Sakura…" Itachi said.

"Right." I nodded.

"Sakura!" Sasuke called out to me. I looked to him. He smirked. "I want to fight you… So you'd better win." He said. I smiled and nodded.

"Same here, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said. I nodded in acknowledgement. I wanted to fight them as well, wanting to see just how strong they'd gotten with their training. I was wondering which jutsu would win… Chidori, Seiha, or Rasengan…

* * *

The crowd cheered loudly within their seats. "I wonder what Kakashi did with their training. His whole team managed to make it through to the end… Naruto was able to beat Neji Hyuuga… Sasuke beat the sound ninja, and Sakura's fighting that Gaara kid… Even if they had different trainers for the month, they've done extremely well for rookies…" Asuma said.

Lee gripped his crutch, blood leaking through the bandages. Gai looked at his star pupil, slightly depressed, knowing it was frustrating to be only standing and watching, unable to fight.

"Hm… At last…" The Kazekage murmured.

* * *

I stared up at Gaara, who stared back at me. Shikamaru called on Naruto and Sasuke to leave. They weren't needed there. Itachi gave Shisui a look, and they both flickered up to the Uchiha area. Kakashi looked to Sakura. "I'd like to see how much you've done with those two… Good luck, Sakura." Kakashi said, before disappearing and going back up to the area where the other Rookies, their senseis, Gai and Lee were.

* * *

Naruto, Sasuke and Shikamaru saw Gaara kill two grass ninja hired by one of the feudal lords, their bodies crushed completely by Gaara's sand. Gaara walked out and completely ignored them walking past them. The three gennin were all frozen, petrified with fear.

"If we'd have come up the stairs just a second earlier… that would have been us, just now… Never in my life have I seen anyone kill like that without even batting an eye." Shikamaru said wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. "Things don't look so good for Sakura."

"Sakura will be fine. Trust me… The only one who can teach her to fight against that guy… is Itachi…" Sasuke said walking back up with his hands in his pockets.

"You sound pretty sure of yourself." Shikamaru said.

"Because Itachi's way stronger than a lot of people… She also trained with Shisui, and speed is Gaara's weakness… Shisui's specialty is his body flicker, which requires high amounts of speed… Don't worry. We just have to watch. Besides, if we tried to interfere, Itachi would get angry. We don't need him pissed off at us, because believe me, it's not pretty when he's angry." Sasuke said.

"But Sakura-chan…" Naruto protested.

"Trust me, Naruto. She'll be fine. I believe in her. Why can't you?" Sasuke asked. Naruto looked down and took a deep breath, before nodding.

* * *

Gaara walked out of the stairway door and the two participants stood before each other, in front of Genma. "Ok… Here we are at last…" The Hokage and Kazekage both watched us interestedly.

* * *

"Alright, the rules for this match are the same as in the preliminaries. The match continues until one of you dies or admits defeat. However, I can stop the match, but that's solely my decision." Genma said. I stared at Gaara, who smirked darkly and chuckled to himself, with a blood lusting look in his eyes.

"_So… looks like I finally get my chance to prove myself… I think Sasuke will believe in his brother's training, so I doubt they'd try to stop the match…" _I thought to myself. I winced slightly in pain. My wound still hurt a little. I didn't want to waste chakra on the wound, knowing I'd need as much chakra as I could for the battles ahead. I could sense Orochimaru's familiar chakra in the Kazekage's place.

* * *

The gennin made their way to the Uchiha reserved area and met with the other rookies and Sensei. Kakashi greeted Gai. "Hello, Gai. How are you feeling, Lee? Are you alright?" Kakashi asked.

"Kakashi." Gai greeted.

"So, what were you two doing?" Itachi asked Shisui with his Sharingan on, a threatening glare on his face. Akane and her cousins sweat dropped. Sasuke, Shikamaru and Naruto had just made it to the area and greeted everyone while Itachi and Shisui had their own conversation.

"Well… You could say she was learning a new ability with Hyourinmaru… I think it was pretty cool…" Shisui said quietly so that only Itachi could hear. Itachi raised an eyebrow and seemed to calm down, but decided to say nothing. He would find out sooner or later.

"Hn. Fine. I'll let it go this time. She'd better win… for your sake." Itachi said. Shisui sweat dropped and nodded nervously.

"So, what did you two do with my student?" Kakashi asked.

"Training and teaching her new jutsu… She's extremely skilled and efficient with her chakra because of her inert ability to control her chakra perfectly, so it's not hard to teach her new jutsu, when we can describe the chakra's movements to her. Saku-hime's the perfect student for me because she doesn't take such a long time to learn! And she's good a medical ninjutsu, which is a win for me, because she can save me from Itachi!" Shisui said smiling. Itachi whacked him on the back of the head. "Oww!" Shisui moaned.

"I don't even know how you got into the ranks of Anbu." Itachi groaned.

"You're so mean, my dear cousin!" Shisui whined. The group of ninja around them laughed at the two and their interactions.

* * *

Tsunade smirked, seeing that the girl had finally arrived, and listening in on the group's conversation. This was going to be interesting to see. She knew most of the nobles had placed bets on this match because apparently it was rumored that Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Shisui had been training the girl, and it seemed to be true.

* * *

"...8 members of the Anbu black ops... That's nowhere near enough for an arena this size..." Kakashi muttered.

"Well... not knowing how the enemy is going to act, the Anbu black ops have probably been stationed in specific places all around the village." Gai responded. "We'll just have to keep watching this match, for now…" He muttered. Kakashi sighed.

"Kakashi, I'm going to be carefully watching your pupils to see if your training was any good... after all, I'm still your rival." Gai said with a sparkling smile. Kakashi was watching Sakura until he turned to Gai.

"Oh, sorry. Did you say something?" Kakashi asked. Gai turned glum.

"_RGGH! WHY DO YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO ACT SO COOL KAKASHI!" Gai thought angrily in his mind_.

* * *

"Both of you, to the middle." Genma ordered. I sighed and walked forwards, stretching my neck slightly. Gaara walked forwards with a blood lusting smirk on his face. The tension rose between us. I was ready to move at a second's notice when Gaara attacked. "Begin!" Genma called out, slicing the air between us and jumping back.

I got into a ready stance and watched as Gaara's sand pooled out of the gourd. I jumped back narrowing my eyes. This would be dangerous... He had the potential of a kage... and not only that... right now... he wasn't the kind Kazekage... he was the bloodlusting Gaara under the influence of the Ichibi, Shukaku, which he called, mother.

He held to his face, covering one side... "Please... I beg you... Don't get so mad at me... Mother..." He said looking at me darkly. "Earlier... I... I know... I made you taste such awful blood... I'm so sorry... but this time... I'm sure... that it'll taste so very good..." Gaara said. I knew that his conversation had started... This was bad...

* * *

"His conversation has started already… This is dangerous…" Kankurou said.

"I know… This is the first time I've seen Gaara get like that before fighting… That's how powerful an opponent Sakura is…" Temari murmured. "Watch."

* * *

Suddenly the sand dropped and he groaned. I sighed quietly. He calmed down like before... This was good... He went to a serious emotionless look on his face. I edge forewards slightly. "Here goes..." I said I pulled out a shuriken and threw it at him.

As expected his sand shield defended him. Then it became a sand clone. I ran towards Gaara but his clone shot a blast of sand at me. I dodged it, jumping into the air.

I quickly pulled out another shuriken and his clone threw my shuriken back at me while I was in the air. I threw my shuriken at it, deflecting it. Then using my momentum through the air, I twisted and kicked at his clone's arms, which turned to normal sand, but the rest of the clone stayed. I twisted on the ground and punched through the head of his clone, forcing the clone to dissipate. I kept my true speed hidden of course and ran towards him knowing full well his sand shield would stop my punch.

I disappeared for his eyes smirking and appeared behind him. Gaara's eyes widened before I sent a chakra enhanced punch in his face. He grunted and flew full speed right into the wall of the arena, creating a crater in the wall. His sand shell had started to crack as well.

* * *

Gai and Lee stared in amazement and Kakashi's single eye widened at his pink haired student in the arena. Shisui was grinning. "What… she's even faster than Lee's normal speed… What did you guys do?" Gai asked in shock. Sasuke and Naruto stared in amazement with Shikamaru and the rest of the rookies. Asuma and Kurenai were staring in shock. Kakashi looked to Itachi and Shisui, who explained.

"Sakura had a lot of potential, but many people would think she seems inferior due to her being a female. I had seen it from the first time I had met her, but decided not to voice it out. Her chakra seemed extremely bright and resilient when I had seen it first developing when I first met her on her homeland. She was also always quick on her toes as a child." Itachi said.

"I first met her and trained her in the art of sword fighting, but she was easily able to soak up everything like a dry sponge. That's when I believed she had talent… and then when we started training her on speed, her improvement level was extremely impressive. Every day, we'd work on her speed, and she'd get a lot faster than the last day, but it's not only that." Shisui said.

"What?" Gai asked.

"Her bloodline also helps her increase her speed and she's still got her weights on. She's just as fast as me at full speed, and with her kekei genkai, she's even faster than me. Her evasive skill was always extremely high and she was always able to block or dodge attacks, almost instinctively. Her stamina isn't too high, but it's not so low either. She has a good base for almost everything now." Shisui said.

"She has a kekei genkai?" Kakashi asked in shock.

"Yes. She activated it during the 2nd exam. Those blades she carried around aren't any regular swords either, and we believe they're clan treasures only usable to those within her clan. To other people, those blades would be impossible to use. I've tried to take one of them and use it, but the hilt started to freeze my hand and encased my hand in ice. If I had kept my hold on it, my whole body would have frozen." Shisui said.

"She had to work hard to attain her speed of course, the slave driver was relentless. She went home half dead every day. You can just ask her cousins for proof." Shisui said grinning lightly. Itachi glared at Shisui. Asami and Miyuki laughed and nodded in agreement. Akane had Yuki in her arms. Yuki meowed in agreement. "See? Even the cat agrees!" Shisui said.

* * *

I stared at Gaara. "That sand armor again… How annoying…" I said disappearing once again before continuously attacking him with chakra enhanced blows that slowly broke through his sand armor. I had him on the ground, breathing heavily. The sand armor took a lot of chakra to keep up. I knew that. I continued to knock him around, dodging when the sand lashed out at me to defend Gaara. Unlike Sasuke, I wasn't arrogant. I wouldn't let him attack me if he had the chance.

Not long after the battle had started, Gaara was on his knees breathing heavily, with the sand cracking from his body and falling to pieces around him. He stood up and I noticed his hands coming up to form his hand sign. His sand started to form a hard shell around him and I punched at the sand with a chakra enhanced blow. The sand spiked out at me and I jumped back, dodging the sand.

My knuckles were broken and I cursed, healing my knuckles and making sure they stayed in place. My cheek had a small cut as well. The third eye formed, and I narrowed my eyes. I knew he was planning on transforming but if I let him, the arena would be destroyed and everyone watching would be killed. I knew I had to break the shell and sighed.

"Fine…" I said in annoyance, turning on my kekei genkai.

* * *

"She's using it." Itachi said looking to Shisui. Shisui nodded.

"Using what?" Kakashi asked.

"She turned on her kekei genkai. Keep your eye on her… She's about to surprise you." Itachi said. Everyone looked to watch carefully.

* * *

I jumped back on the wall of the arena and flicked my hand, concentrating surrounding it with my wind chakra that continuously spun over my hand in circles like a small tornado. It spun faster and faster. The air around it started to spark, creating static electricity as I gathered it around my hand.

* * *

"What the… that's…" Kakashi stared in shock. Sasuke's and Gai's eyes widened in surprise.

"It's different from your Chidori. Of course, visibly, you can see that as well, but the elements are opposites." Itachi said. Kakashi looked to Itachi. Shisui grinned and explained

"She has both the water affiliation, and the wind affiliation, which made me and Itachi the perfect teachers for her… Even if her water affiliation was stronger than wind, she could easily feel her wind chakra and separate it from her water chakra. This jutsu requires a lot of speed, but the only difference is that the more speed there is, the more powerful this attack becomes." Shisui said.

"How is that so?" Gai asked.

"It relies on static electricity." Shisui said. Asuma chuckled in amusement.

"I see. Speed becomes a great factor in that technique instead of power…" Asuma said.

"Yes. The wind chakra surrounds the hand, and spins around the user's hand, creating the static electricity. Only those with almost perfect control over their chakra would be able to use this technique, because you have to gather that static electricity and form it over the tornado. The static will build up as you gather it, and it will slowly become visible. The static will stay as long as you keep your chakra around your hand and continuously moving at an extreme speed." Shisui said.

"I see…" Kakashi said in understanding.

"Rushing speed will create more static, which allows the jutsu to stay intact so you can release the chakra around the static, but when you move in to attack, you must layer your chakra over the energy, and mix your chakra in so that it becomes invulnerable to contact. Otherwise, you'd just use a normal jab, but you'd be shocking your enemy with the static. That can be used as an attack as well, but the way I explained is more effective for piercing power. If the attack hits the enemy, the static energy is transferred to their body, shocking their whole body. The thing that makes it better than the Chidori, is that it takes much less chakra. Saku-hime could probably do it at least 20 times a day, without using her kekei genkai. However, if she uses her kekei genkai, then the amount of times she could use it would be cut down to about 8 times, which is still a lot." Shisui said.

"So that's why you improved her speed so much." Kakashi said.

"Uhuh. It's not quite as destructive as the Chidori, but its power is all focused in the piercing ability of the attack." Shisui said.

"And the name is probably pathetic…" Kakashi said dully.

"Hahah. That's why I got Saku-chan to name the technique. In reality, she's the one who mastered it first, so it's really her technique." Shisui said grinning.

"So what's the name?" Kakashi asked.

"Seiha (Electric blade)." Shisui said.

"Hm. Not bad. But how is she able to dodge?" Kakashi asked.

"Hey kekei genkai gives her speed, but it also allows her to see things much more slowly than normal humans would, so she will be able to react quickly to any attack coming towards her with high speed." Itachi said.

"Woah! I've never seen her do anything like that before…!" Naruto said in amazement. Everyone was staring at Sakura, who was charging at Gaara's sand shell. The jutsu broke through the shell.

* * *

I knew that the technique had pierced his body when I felt the warm substance on my hand. Gaara screamed from within the shell, in pain. I felt the aura of the Shukaku, the one tailed beast and my eyes widened when it grabbed onto my arm that was still within the shell. I tried to pull out but it wouldn't come out. I activated my Seiha again, and Gaara screamed in pain as the wind chakra cut at him and I managed to pull my hand out, wincing in pain as the wound in my arm reopened, the bandages torn from Shukaku's claw.

The Shukaku's hand from within the shell was pulled back inside, and I healed my arm until the bleeding stopped. The sand shell fell apart, and I expected the smoke bomb to be used, but it didn't. I was surprised but I decided to continue, or people would suspect me. Gaara was breathing heavily and holding to his wound. He stared at me with blood-shot eyes.

I stood up and calmed down. I knew the Shukaku's chakra would heal him quickly, so I had to end it sooner or later by disabling his movements… Making his sand wet would also slow his attacks down so Team 7 would be able to catch up to us much sooner… I had a feeling that it wasn't just Gaara that we were going to fight…

Then there was also Kuragari that made me suspicious as well… What was she doing with Orochimaru?

I closed my eyes, deactivating my kekei genkai and twirled my body around, gathering the moisture from the air. Soon enough, there was a ring of water surrounding me and I kept it around me as I attacked Gaara. I sent the water blasting at him, and he was knocked across the stadium by the force of the water, his sand got wet along with his clothes, making his weight heavier than it was. He tried to get up and attack me with his sand, but it was much slower than before.

* * *

"What happened? The sand's moving a lot slower…" Kankurou said.

"It's the water that she used… The water is weighing the sand down, so it's a lot slower and heavier…" Temari said.

* * *

"Woah… Where'd the water come from?" Naruto asked in shock.

"She gathered it from the moisture in the air. That's smart thinking. The sand is much slower because of the water that weighs it down, so she won't have to move too fast to dodge... She has a limitless supply of water because of that ability. It's only because she has perfect chakra control that she's able to use that ability to the full extent." Shisui said.

"How many jutsu have you two taught her…?" Kakashi asked.

"A lot…" Shisui and Itachi both spoke at the same time with bored looks on their faces. Everyone stared at them. Shisui sweat dropped.

"She mastered most of them pretty quickly." Shisui said. Itachi nodded in agreement.

* * *

"Hm… She's smart… It's not a surprise. As expected from someone who's learned from the prodigy of the village… Now she doesn't need to use so much stamina to dodge because the sand is so much slower. All she's really doing is showing off her abilities now. It's over for that Sand ninja… He looks like he's going to be out of it. I really wonder why everyone was so hyped up about this match… That sand ninja was on the defense almost the whole time…" Kotetsu said.

"Where'd she get the water though…?" Izumo asked curiously.

"Yeah… That's what I'm wondering too." Kotetsu said.

* * *

Minato smiled and nodded in approval. Both Sakura and Shikamaru showed exceptional minds for average gennin. Sakura's power was also an addition. She had great potential. He could see it after knowing that she was trained by Itachi and Shisui. Her speed was extremely impressive, and could probably catch most jounnin, even Anbu, off guard.

* * *

Anko stared in amazement, watching the girl fight. She was stronger than any average gennin, and she hadn't even started using those blades yet. On top of that, she was a rookie, fresh out of the academy! Those rumors about her being trained under Itachi and Shisui probably had to be true…

Ibiki smirked and nodded with approval. The girl was powerful, and her speed was impressive. She was not arrogant, and hadn't given her enemy a chance to attack her. She merely showed off her own power at the end. From the look on her face, she knew it was already over.

* * *

I slammed him into the wall with my speed and threw him to the ground. Gaara went unconscious from the pain along with the loss of chakra. I wasn't surprised. The wet sand had retreated to Gaara's gourd that was also wet. Genma walked up and stared at Gaara, who was unconscious. He didn't move.

"Heh. I'm not really surprised." Genma said to me. I smirked lightly at him.

"I really don't understand why everyone was so hyped up about Gaara, because… all he was really doing was going on the defensive… I wanted to see his full ability… I could have just slowed down his sand from the beginning, but I wanted to take my anger out on something you know. It's Shisui's fault I was late." I said pouting.

"Yeah. Gotcha." Genma said chuckling before announcing the winner of the match.

"The winner is… Haruno Sakura!" Genma said.

* * *

Suddenly, a genjutsu was placed on everyone but the sand ninja in the arena. I dispelled it quickly with the tiger hand seal, releasing it. The smoke bomb was used and the Anbu rushed to protect the nobles and the Fourth Hokage. The fake Kazekage took Minato hostage. The third Hokage dodged the attacks from the Sand ninja.

I was standing before Gaara, looking to the smoke bomb. I noticed Kuragari smirking. Temari and Kankurou immediately went to Gaara's side. Baki appeared as well. "What are you three doing? Can't you see the operation's already under way?" Baki asked with a glare. He turned to me and glared. I stared back and raised an eyebrow. Genma appeared by my side.

I knew everyone else was fighting against the sound ninja. "Gaara's the trump-card of the village hidden in the Sand. We have to get him to play his part no matter what! Alright, for now, you two take Gaara and tend to his wounds. As soon as his chakra is restored, the operation will continue." Baki said.

"You got it." Kankurou said, lifting Gaara up.

"And you sensei?" Temari asked.

"I'm going to take care of these guys." Baki said.

"Do you really think that things will go according to your plan?" Genma asked.

"I'll make sure… that they do…" Baki growled. He waited a few seconds before ordering his Team to leave. They jumped away from the arena.

"And is the host of this party… Orochimaru…?" Genma asked.

"Don't know. And don't care. Now let's heat things up." Baki said.

* * *

"Sakura." Genma spoke. I looked to him. "I'm sorry, but the Chunnin exams end here for you. You've already achieved Chunnin level. You're a leaf village Shinobi, so put your training to good use." Genma said, keeping his eyes on Baki.

"So… I take down Gaara?" I asked.

"Just be careful… It's the real thing. Not a match." Genma said. I smirked.

"Hmph. It's the same thing, except I'm allowed to go all out." I said with a smirk. I looked around for an opening, and quickly flickered away to the wall of the arena. Baki tried to cut me off with some kunai, which I easily dodged as I ran up the wall of the arena. I knew I could easily catch up to the sand siblings if I wanted to, but I had to drive them out of the civilized area and into the forests so that no damage would be done on the village with the rampaging giant beasts.

The Fourth Hokage and his wife had escaped with the Fourth Hokage's flying thunder god technique.

At the moment, they were safe. I doubted they would die from Orochimaru's attack.

The Third Hokage would handle Orochimaru…

* * *

**OMG. I'm soo happy I got that out. but I'm kinda sad. I lost my ipod. -no inspiration at teh moment...- I passsed the knowledge test on the first try tho, so I'm pretty happy. but right after, my dad forced me to get in the car and start driving when we got home, and I freaked out. -nearly crashed the car about 3 times-  
**

**My thoughts: OMG -PERSON- OMG -CAR!- OMG! -FREAKIN FENCE-  
**

**LOL. anyone got any advice for a learning driver? I always panic and can't help it. O_O'''**


	13. Chapter 12: To Realize One's Feelings

**Hmm... it took longer than I expected... I've been relaxing way too much... I need to start typing again...**

**Okie dokie! Responses here we go:**

**MiyatheEarthninja: Did you mean inspiring? LOLOL. Auto-correct I'm guessing? Thanks though! XD please continue reviewing!**

**Jasmine-.-Momo-chan: hahaha! YEP. both from bleach! Glad you were so into it. hahaha! Thanks for the review! - This chapter might disappoint you tho. :P I felt weird writing it. I dunno. maybe cuz there was too much chaos. lemme know what you think.**

**banglamiss: OF COURSE! Sakura HAS to be perfect! XD haha. No, I'm ****just kidding. LOLOL. Don't worry. My resolve to write this story was not affected AT ALL. so don't worry about it. To tell you the truth, I once wrote a WAY OVERPOWERED Sakura time travel fic and I realized even tho all those powers were way cool, she wasn't gonna use them half the time. I deleted that one and started this one, way more cooled down with less power. But you know, I feel like Sakura does need to be "powered up" like... seriously. Naruto has a freakin demon with limitless chakra that is reborn after it's killed (even tho you have to wait a while before he's reborn), and Sasuke's got the freaky Sharingan (AND THE MANGEKYOU). I don't think it's fair for Sakura not to have somethings too, after going through all the pain of living a life once, and having to go through it all over again, with the risk of making things worse instead of making things better. If ya feel all strongly about this fic being too overpower tho, ya can make ur own fic! Give it a try! It's fun! Seriously! It's really fun!**

**PinkTrinityRose12: Haha. Lotsa questions. Hmmm... Well. I'll answer it a bit indirectly. You come up with answers. Read the chapter! A few hints: The Fourth Hokage is there, Sakura doesn't really want to kill Gaara (he is supposed to become the Kazekage after all). I'll say one thing: the blades will be used (but I'm not gonna say anything else - READ IT!)**

** .23: LOL. looking for Sasusaku? I guess I've been focusing a lot on the exams. XP hahah. I'll add in some more cute moments in the next chapter maybe. Please keep reviewing! I appreciate it!**

**sakura2113: thank you so much. it means a lot when a reader reviews! I'm glad you like my story! XD please keep reviewing!**

**mischief maker: hehe. Thanks for the advice! glad you liked the chapter!**

**Gasanechi: haha. A lot of people seemed disappointed she didn't use it with Gaara. maybe I'll make a side story next time with the two of them fighting at full power. dunno tho. XP**

**Kisa Black: GASP! I HAVEN'T HEARD FROM YOU IN SO LONG! LOL. hope you had a good xmas too... Aww. that sucks. I hate getting sick on the holidays... Sleep all day long, unable to do anything. XP sucks.**

**Karumi-Uchiha-Haruno: OMG! I wish I could have see it in real life! LOL! Love the faces! Awesome! I was laughing when I saw the faces.**

**Twisted-Musalih: haha. I left you hanging? really? I guess I kinda did... XP LOL. here's your next chapter!**

**LoverSakuSasu: Thanks! haha! I'm glad I updated too! didn't want any readers to be sad!**

**bluebaby: LOLOL. She's gonna use it this chapter... XP tho I don't think it's what everyone expects!**

**hellokitty: Thanks! XD hahah. Kushina the Red Habanero... X3 Gotta love her! The Road to Ninja movie! OMG. I love her appearance when she gets angry. IT'S SOOO FUNNY!**

**LoverForAnime: hehe! Thanks! Here's your next update! **

**sakuraflowerstar: Really? "gifted"? I'm honored and proud to be thought of as that! I never really thought much of it, but I guess this story is one of a kind! XD Thanks for the awesome comment and thanks for the advice!**

**crazy reader 241: Thank-you!**

**Morningstar 236: hehe. I'm glad you like it! Sakura was always like the weak one... and I was kinda annoyed with the gender-bias in both the anime and the manga. I was also kinda annoyed with the fact that Sakura was the original girl in team 7, and yet she barely pops up anymore. Back to driving: it was really reallly scary for me. I was gripping the steering wheel really tightly. So nervous LOL!**

**Vbabeofhearts: OMG. another person who was annoyed with the short fanfics and the characters are ALL COMPLETELY OOC... SAME HERE. I got soo annoyed I decided to write this one. I feel like the reason why the other fics all end too fast, is because the secret of time travel is told to like the Hokage or someone. Some work out even tho the secret is known and those fics are ok, but some just end up having everyone know, and it's really kinda idiotic, cuz then everything gets messed up. Glad you like my story! hahah! You'll see you'll see. I did write this chapter in a way that might surprise people as well. XD I wanna read everyone's reactions. Hope you review! Thanks!**

* * *

Legend:

"_Thought"  
_"Speech"_  
__"Spirit/God/Goddess/Any spiritual-like being"__**  
"Demon/Tailed Beast"  
**_**"Emphasis"  
**Japanese name/catchword (Translation)  
**Singing**_**(Translation)**_

– Point of View P.O.V. – (Place)  
Chapter Number: Chapter Title

* * *

Chapter Twelve: To Realize One's Feelings…

– Normal P.O.V. – (Konoha Village)

Tsunade's eyes widened and she noticed the girl run off to chase after the Sand ninja. Tsunade gritted her teeth. Shizune who was awake, looked to Tsunade.

"Tsunade-sama…" She murmured worriedly. Tsunade noticed the face of the man holding Minato hostage. It wasn't the Kazekage… It was Orochimaru. Her eyes widened. She had mistakenly gotten herself involved with Orochimaru's attack on the Leaf village. The Fourth Hokage used his ninjutsu to get out of the barrier, and Tsunade realized that the Third Hokage was fighting against Orochimaru…

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "I want to see the girl fight. The match and the real thing are different from each other." Tsunade said. Shizune nodded. They both jumped away over the walls, dodging the flying projectiles that flew at them, chasing after the pink haired gennin.

* * *

Sasuke looked around noticing the many jounnin along with his brother and Shisui were in battle. His father was in battle as well. His mother was awake, but keeping hidden. Kakashi and Gai were fighting as well. "Kakashi! Look! Over there!" Gai said. They both saw that it was Orochimaru within the barrier.

"Orochimaru…" Kakashi growled.

"Orochimaru…?" Sasuke asked in shock, noticing the face of the man who had come after him in the second exam. He then noticed that Sakura had disappeared from the arena. "Sakura?" He asked in shock. Then he noticed the ninja coming at him. Kakashi killed the two ninja.

"Sasuke, stay there for a bit while I trim the enemy's numbers down to size." Kakashi said. Clashes of metal sounded throughout the arena while Sasuke stayed down. Kakashi jumped back when many of the enemies had been taken down. "Sasuke, your ability to see sharply has gotten much better. It was worth teaching you a little about genjutsu during our training this month. Release the genjutsu, and wake Naruto and Shikamaru. You and Naruto both should be delighted. You'll be getting a mission after such a long time." Kakashi said.

"Mission…?" Sasuke asked cautiously.

"You'll have to be careful. It's the first A-rank assignment since the Land of the Waves." Kakashi said. Sasuke's eyes widened.

"So what's the mission?" Sasuke asked.

"Sakura's chasing Gaara and the other two Sand ninja. She will probably have pursuers behind her. Go after her after you wake Shikamaru and Naruto." Kakashi said.

"Then who's our fourth member…? Are you coming with us?" Sasuke asked.

"No. I must not leave this place." Kakashi said. He performed the summoning jutsu and summoned Pakkun. "Pakkun here will track Sakura down by scent."

Sasuke nodded and released Naruto from the genjutsu, before noticing Shikamaru was merely acting. Sasuke stared. "Shikamaru… Get up…" Sasuke growled. Pakkun bit down on Shikamaru's leg and Shikamaru yelped in pain, shaking his leg, before taking Pakkun into his hands.

"I didn't want to get involved… I could care less about Sakura…" Shikamaru grumbled. Naruto looked totally confused until a ninja nearly attacked him from behind. Gai punched the ninja through the wall, and Kakashi started to explain the mission.

"Now, I'll explain the mission. First, track down Sakura, and stop her. Then, find a safe location and await further orders." Kakashi said.

"Right." Sasuke said.

"What happened to Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

"Let's go, moron. I'll explain on the way." Sasuke said dragging Naruto by the ear.

"OWw! My ear!" Naruto whined. Pakkun pulled Shikamaru, biting onto his hand and dragging him along, after making a deal with him to touch his paws if the mission was a success. Shikamaru was totally confused.

"Will they be ok by themselves?" Gai asked.

"Yes… They'll be fine. Pakkun will protect them. As long as they don't go too far…" Kakashi said.

* * *

In the academy all the students were having study hall while the Teachers were in a meeting. The Teachers decided to evacuate the children acting as if it was an evacuation drill… However, the evacuation was a real evacuation situation, even if the students didn't know about it…

* * *

Orochimaru summoned the First Hokage and the Second Hokage, after attacking the Third Hokage with jutsu of his own. The chakra was so heavy in the air that everyone could feel it bearing down on them. The Anbu could do nothing outside of the barriers that the sound ninja had made.

* * *

The Fourth Hokage stood at the top of the tower, giving orders to all the ninja gathered and receiving the information from the ninja. He narrowed his eyes at the news of the three-headed serpent at the walls of the village, causing massive destruction. He sent the news to Jiraiya, his old mentor, asking for help at the area and continued to give orders to other ninja and his Anbu squads.

* * *

– Sakura's P.O.V. – (Konoha Forests)

I could sense Tsunade's and Shizune's chakra signatures following me along with Sasuke's, Naruto's and Shikamaru's chakra signatures behind them, being led by Pakkun. It wasn't long before Shikamaru left their group. I knew that Pakkun had probably detected the Sound ninja chasing after them. We had exited the village a while ago. I knew I wasn't going to run out of stamina anytime soon, and decided to move slightly quicker to catch up to them faster.

Temari had set up the trip wire traps, which I easily dodged with my speed. I knew I was catching up to them, and they could tell. I sped up, quickly getting ahead of them and appearing before them, throwing a kunai as a warning threat. Temari stared.

"Well… If it isn't Haruno Sakura…" Temari said. I smiled lightly.

"This is as far as you guys go." I said.

"Go Kankurou. I'll take care of her." Temari said with a smirk. I sighed and dodged the kunai she threw at me. "This is what I've been waiting for." She said grinning. I smiled.

"Sure. It won't be much of a fight though. You guys were probably running full speed the whole time. I was just making sure we got out of the village before I actually go full out." I said with a smirk. Temari gritted her teeth. I sensed Tsunade and Shizune had both caught up, and were watching from afar. Kankurou and Gaara left the area, and I decided to let them go.

"Take this!" She yelled, using her fan to send her wind at me. I dodged behind a tree and continued to dodge her wind chakra blows. I threw kunai at her, knowing she was running out of chakra quite quickly and she was trying to get me to use my own chakra. I smirked and decided to use the shadow clone jutsu, and leave my clone to fight her off. It wouldn't take long either.

I created a clone and it jumped into battle while I smirked and ran past Tsunade and Shizune. I got it to seal Temari's chakra with a low level seal and shock her with the Seiha, so she'd be extremely tired an unable to do anything even if she caught up. They noticed me and started to chase once again. I caught up to Kankurou easily, and Temari was panting heavily when she caught up, telling Kankurou to wait and leave us.

Kankurou came forwards. I knew he wanted to fight as well. I sensed Shino was nearby, and Kankurou told Temari to go on and take Gaara with her. "Okay Haruno, time you picked on someone your own size!" Kankurou growled. I smirked.

"Why don't you fight him, Shino? You didn't have your fight, after all." I said looking up into the trees. Shino grunted.

"Thanks." Shino said. I smirked.

"No problem. Just finish and catch up to me. I'll need it." I said rushing off, to chase after Temari. Shino grunted. I jumped away, and I knew Tsunade and Shizune were following.

* * *

I caught up to Gaara just when he had awakened and watched as he knocked Temari away. I merely stared. He glared at me and growled. "My existence… will not disappear!" Gaara roared before his sand armor shell started to crack. The Shukaku's transformation started. I evaded his attacks quickly dodging… The water was still soaked into his sand, and it did help, because he was slower, but still. I knew the only thing that would be able to affect him was the Chidori or my Seiha, but I needed an opening to get at him.

I had a clone throw some kunai at him, and used a substitution to distract him, but he easily destroyed them. The trees were slowly being destroyed. I could sense Tsunade and Shizune watching from a safe distance. Shizune was fearful of Gaara, seeing his true form. Gaara roared in anger when I continued to dodge his attacks but not fight to kill. "What's wrong, Haruno!? Why do you run and hide, why don't you attack?!" Gaara roared in sudden pain. "Why do you always run away? I won't let you get away, you won't escape, do you hear, Haruno Sakura?!"

I knew the Seiha would work on him, but it wouldn't keep him down for long… but I had to stall him, and keep him busy until Naruto arrived. I closed my eyes and concentrated. The Seiha appeared on my hand once again, and I activated my kekei genkai, my eyes flashing icy blue. I turned to Gaara, watching as he grinned. "Good… Now we're going to have some fun, Haruno!" He roared. I gritted my teeth, and dashed at him, using my Seiha and piercing through his Shukaku's sand arm. He screamed in pain and landed on the branch. I knew Temari was watching.

"Gaara!" Temari called out.

Gaara started laughing as he got up. "That's it… Now it's clear to me exactly why I've been looking forwards to this!" Gaara said. "This… pain… What a thrill it will be to crush such an opponent capable of wounding me so badly! Such a victory will make me feel what it is like to be truly alive!" Gaara said laughing manically. His tail grew out of his behind. "There's more… So much more!" Gaara said grinning. I was hit by his sand arm and crashed through 5 trees.

I decided to draw my blade. I pushed myself up and pushed back my shoulder that had been dislocated when I had hit one of the trees. I healed the bruising so it wouldn't bother me and pulled out my blade, calling upon Hyourinmaru's strength. "Sit upon the frozen Heavens… Hyourinmaru (Ice Ring)!" I called out. The blade glowed and the chain appeared from the hilt.

I held the chain with one of my hands and the hilt of the blade in the other, ready to send my chain at his untransformed hand to keep him busy for a while, just then, my eyes widened when the same familiar presence appeared nearby… It was moving fast… Kuragari… I narrowed my eyes and barely dodged Gaara's next attack.

Suddenly Kuragari kicked me into a tree using enhanced strength. I coughed out blood and grasped my chest. She had cracked 3 ribs and fractured 4 more… I breathed heavily in pain. Gaara charged at me, and suddenly I sensed Naruto and Sasuke nearby as well.

* * *

"Sakura!" I heard Sasuke's voice as he landed beside me. Naruto kicked Gaara in the face. I breathed heavily as I coughed out blood wincing in pain.

"S-sasuke…" I murmured in surprise.

"Heal yourself. I'll keep the girl busy. Naruto! You take care of Gaara!" Sasuke ordered. Kuragari smirked, with a dark look on her face. Pakkun stared at me.

"Looks like we were too late…" Pakkun said.

"Sasuke… no… You need to help Naruto fight with Gaara…" I said getting up and breathing heavily with one eye closed. I panted in pain as my hand glowed with medical chakra, partly healing the cracked bones. Luckily, I had covered my lungs in chakra at the last second, so the bones didn't move but merely cracked and broke… I had to keep them from poking into my lungs…

"Sakura… but…!" Sasuke started to protest.

"Please…" I said. I knew Kuragari had the skill to kill everyone in the area, including Naruto, Sasuke, and Gaara. Having been the Hokage's apprentice, I had access to a lot of information, which included people's personal profiles… Kuragari knew everything I knew. Sasuke looked at me worriedly. Naruto and Sasuke stood on one side of the branch facing Gaara, while I stared at Kuragari. I coughed out blood and wiped it from my mouth before getting up. She smirked.

"You really want to keep me away from them… It's quite obvious…" She said grinning and drawing her blade. I could tell it was the same blade that Sasuke had used when he had been with Orochimaru. "But you know in the state you're in, you're not going to win… Sakura." She said drawing my name out. I gripped my blade and closed my eyes.

"Bankai…" I murmured. The ice wings and tailed appeared on my back and my blade changed the guard's form from a four pointed star to the eight pointed star. The ice grew over my hands and feet, and they formed claws, with a dragon's head on my right hand that held the blade. The three ice crystal flowers appeared over me, twelve full diamond petals… "Daiguren Hyourinmaru… (Grand Crimson Lotus Ice Ring)" I called out. I hadn't practiced with this, but hopefully it would hold her off long enough so that Sasuke and Naruto would finish with Gaara. Sasuke and Naruto looked shocked.

"Hm. You won't give in, I see. Stubborn as usual... but I wonder where you got that stubborn trait from? Me? Or the old lady?" She said.

I looked up at Kuragari with a glare. "You and I both know that I was always stubborn... I won't let you hurt my friends!" I growled and flew at her.

She blocked Hyourinmaru with her Kusanagi and I clashed with her. I sent her into another area of the forest. Tsunade and Shizune kept an eye on us from far, following us and keeping an eye on me. I continued to clash with Kuragari and I sent ice dragons flying at her from the air. She managed to dodge them. She grinned and clashed blades with me. "You've gotten pretty good." She said grinning. I gritted my teeth blocking her hits. Her attacks were heavy… I was being pressured. We clashed for a while, but my chakra was running low. Controlling the wings took a large amount of effort and focus… and my wounds didn't help either.

* * *

– Normal P.O.V. – (Konoha Village)

Sasuke and Naruto clashed against Gaara. Gaara continuously beat them away from him, saying they didn't understand. Naruto knew that Gaara's only point in life was to kill, and felt some fear, but he knew he had to fight…

"You should forget your friends and fight for yourself. That's when you'll get to my level!" Gaara said.

"Yeah yeah! Keep talking while you can cause I'm about to shut you up once and for all!" Naruto said pointing at Gaara. He pulled out a kunai. "I'm taking you down!" Naruto yelled. He jumped at Gaara while Sasuke ran to the opposite side. Gaara smirked and his tail whipped against Naruto leaving his defenses from behind open. Sasuke kicked at him but Gaara slashed his hand to Sasuke making him bump against the tree trunk nearby landing on a big branch.

"This is going to take a heck of a lot of chakra... but... It's time to bring it the chief toad!" Naruto said making the handsigns. "Summoning Jutsu!" He said biting his hand. He put his hand on a branch and I watched. Gamakichi appeared.

"Wow... Naruto, what in the world can a toad do in the middle of a battle?" Sasuke asked jumping over to Naruto.

"What is it? What do you want kid?" Gamakichi asked Naruto. Sasuke noticed Gaara transforming again and preparing to attack.

"Naruto! We've got to get moving!" Sasuke said. Naruto noticed Gaara and quickly picked up Gamakichi preparing to jump away, but both boys were too late.

"Sand Shuriken!" Gaara called out. Both boys were hit by the sand shiriken that had flown at them at a fast and forceful pace. Gamakichi was fine.

"Wow... Boy, are you pathetic. So uhh... who the heck is this freak anyways?" Gamakichi asked. Sasuke looked at Gaara and Naruto stared into his eyes. Gaara was grinning with the Shukaku's face.

"What's wrong? You were so cocky before." Gaara said. Sasuke and Naruto fought losing their strength, while Gaara merely toyed with them. Naruto was able to put some damage on Gaara's sand form using his clones as a distraction. Sasuke used his Chidori and did some damage as well, but Gaara's sand merely regenerated.

Naruto used the technique Kakashi-sensei had used on him, stabbing a kunai under Gaara's tail with an explosive wrapped around it, the Thousand Years of Death technique which… grossed out Gamakichi, Pakkun, and Temari… Naruto was whipped by Gaara's tail and flew into a tree. Sasuke caught Naruto and helped him up.

"I get it now... Of course... He's no different than I am... Going through life with the exact same sadness and loneliness that I had to carry... He fought only for himself... never relying on anyone... and because of that... I thought that he possessed strength... I really did..." Naruto said.

Sasuke looked at Naruto in slight confusion. "Naruto..." Naruto looked at Gaara with determination.

"I don't know. I guess I should've known better. That's not what real strength is... Sakura, Kakashi-sensei, and Haku... They were all trying to tell me... tell us, what real strength was...

And I've finally figured it out... If you never fight for anyone but yourself... you'll never be strong... no matter what you do." Naruto said. Sasuke's eyes widened and he understood what it meant, remembering Sakura's words before she had charged into battle with the other enemy.

Naruto slapped his hands together make the hand sign. "HAAAAAA!" Naruto cried out. He built up his chakra. Sasuke paid no mind to Naruto, building up his own chakra like Naruto. Naruto used his Multi-Shadow clone jutsu, while Sasuke had a chidori that was double its normal size in his hand.

"Nice one kid! Not too shabby!" Gamakichi said smiling. Sasuke's chidori was very powerful. Temari gapped. Pakkun had wide eyes.

"This is amazing... I can't believe my eyes...!" Pakkun said looking around.

Naruto grinned and all the clones charged doing the Sasuke used the huge chidori on Gaara and the sand was not taking its shape.

* * *

Gaara was on the ground again. The he was about to get up. "There's no way... There's absolutely no way... I'm going to lose to two kids like you!" Gaara yelled. He transformed into the true Shukaku's form. "Well what do you know... I never thought you two would bring this out of me!" Gaara yelled from his Shukaku's form. Gaara's sand surrounded the two boys.

Naruto wiped the blood dripping down from his mouth. "I..Inu... Tori... Saru... Hitsuji..." He trailed off. Sasuke was watching him.

"Whatever you're doing had better work, Naruto." Sasuke said.

"It'll work." Naruto said grinning.

"This is the end for you both... Sand burial–!" He was stopped when Naruto cried out through the sand. "Summoning Jutsu!" He yelled. The sand exploded and Naruto and Sasuke were both on top of a toad that was enormous.

"Now this is a toad that's for battle." Sasuke said looking down at the boss toad from on top of his head. Gamakichi was staring up at Naruto in approval.

"It's amazing that he could summon in that state..." Pakkun said.

"What the... Not you again...? What is this...? Huh? Well would you look at that... Shukaku the sand spirit..." Gamabunta said.

"What do you say? Will you fight alongside me today Chief toad?" Naruto asked. Sasuke looked down expectantly. The Chief toad blew out some smoke from one side of his mouth, keeping the huge pipe in his mouth.

"Take a hike..." The Chief toad said. Sasuke snickered smirking. Naruto gapped and was frustrated.

"What?!" Naruto asked twitching. Sasuke smirked.

"Wow. You summon them and they won't obey you... Now that's sad Naruto..." Sasuke said scoffing. Gamabunta grunted and looked up at Sasuke and Naruto. Naruto started to argue with the Gamabunta while Shukaku watched in amusement.

"Oh come on pops. Don't be like that. Why don't you just settle down and hear the kid out?" Gamakichi asked from the top of Naruto's head.

"Huh? Pops?" Naruto asked confused and shocked.

"And just what do you think you're doing here Gamakichi?" Gamabunta asked. Gamabunta looked up at Gamakichi.

"I had nothing else to do... I just came to hang out!" Gamakichi said smiling. Naruto looked at the two of them watching them talking to eachother.

"Huh? What? You're father and son?!" Naruto said confused. Sasuke was just watching them talk to eachother silently and snickering at Naruto's stupidity.

"This kid did protect me from that big blob over there. I'm telling you pops there's a heck of a lot more to this kid then meets the eye." Gamakichi said. Gamabunta sighed in annoyance and turned to Gaara's Shukaku form glaring at him.

"Very well. Oh, and blondy, you're hereby accepted as my henchman. Now both of you sit tight, and I'll show you what duty... is all about..." Gamabunta said pulling out his sword. "I'll take him down... but not before he's paid for what he's done... That worthless little flunky!" Gamabunta said charging at the Shukaku's form in control of Gaara. Naruto and Sasuke fell back on their butts holding tight with their chakra. "Hang on tight small fry!" Gamabunta said.

Gaara's possessed form was about to attack with his arm. Gamabunta sliced off his arm and landed back sliding to one side. The sword flew up into the air and fell down on the ground making a huge impact. "Interesting... Interesting! Not bad!" Shukaku said excitedly and amused. Gaara come out on top of the head.

"What the… What the heck is that?!" Naruto asked pointing to Gaara. Sasuke was staring at the Gaara who was coming out of the head.

"It's a sprituallist medium..." Gamabunta said narrowing his eyes. Sasuke and Naruto stared at Gaara. Gamakichi gulped.

"To thank you for entertaining me here today, I'll show you the true power, of the manifestation of the sand!" Gaara said. Gamabunta watched.

"The markings over his eyes... They're signs of insomnia... Evidence that the medium's been possessed by the Shukaku." Gamabunta said. Naruto had a confused look on his face.

"Huh? Insomnia...?" Naruto asked. Gamabunta started to explain.

"What does that have to do with him being possessed?" Sasuke asked confused.

"Those possessed by Shukaku the sand spirit, are no longer able to sleep soundly through the night. The terror is too great... if one does sleep; the Shukaku will eat away at your mind, until the person that you once were ceases to exist. Since he normally doesn't get much sleep, the mediums personality tends to become quite unstable... but as long as the medium is awake, the shukaku's true power is held in check... The only danger is if the medium finally falls asleep..." Gamabunta said.

"Play possum jutsu..." Gaara said. Gamabunta's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"He's done it..." Gamabunta said. Naruto looked at the Shukaku's form in fear...

"I don't have a good feeling about this..." Sasuke said looking at Gaara... "I don't like this at all either chief toad... What is gonna happen?" Naruto asked.

"If he's set the play possum jutsu in motion... Then the Shukaku will be unleashed!" Gamabunta said. The Shukaku's eyes shone wildely going from dull yellow to a bright glowing yellow.

"Yeah hah! I'm finally free! Here I come, baby!" Shukaku said excitedly lighting up. Naruto's eyes widened. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. Gamakichi and Gamabunta stared.

"So that's the... Sand spirit?" Naruto asked shocked and afraid.

"Man that is one funky demon..." Gamakichi said.

"You got that right..." Sasuke said, his eye twitching.

"Yeah! Here we go! I hope you're ready to die! Let's do this!" Shukaku said. Gamabunta got into a jumping position ready for the Shukaku's attack.

"I'm gonna jump!" Gamabunta said. Both boys' eyes widened. Gamakichi held on to Naruto's head. "Huh? What?" Naruto asked. Sasuke held on with his chakra sticking to the toads head.

"Wind style... Air bullets!" Shukaku yelled shooting a ball of chakra at Gamabunta. Gamabunta jumped. Sasuke pulled Naruto down as Gamabunta jumped.

"Water Style, liquid bullets!" Gamabunta said shooting a bullet of water from his mouth to Shukaku. Shukaku shot another bullet at us which collided with Gamabunta's liquid bullet.

"Woah... What kind of battle is this turning into...?" Sasuke asked amazed.

The Shukaku attacked with another three air bullets and Gamabunta had only been able to repel two. The third hit Gamabunta and he knew he wouldn't be able to last much longer if the air bullets hit a few more times.

"Boss, what should we do?" Naruto asked worriedly.

"Well for starters, you could wake up the spiritualist medium!" Gamabunta said.

"How are we supposed to do that?" Sasuke asked.

"Just fire off a few round's at him!" Gamabunta said. Gamabunta dodged another bullet and fired his own liquid bullet. He grabbed at the Shukaku but lost his grip. "Argh… My body doesn't have any claws or horns to dig into the enemy with! I can't keep my grip!" Gamabunta said.

"What are we supposed to do then?" Sasuke asked.

"Use the transformation jutsu to change into something that has what we need!" Gamabunta said. "A combined transformation! Conjure up something with fangs and claws! Then Uchiha, you fire a few rounds and the medium should wake!"

"Wait wait! Um... Claws and fangs, claws and fangs, claws and fangs..." Naruto said nervously trying to think while Gamabunta charged. "GOT IT! TRANSFORM!" Naruto yelled. The cloud poofed and out rushed the nine tailed fox. Sasuke was shocked but got down to business. The nine tails charged and bit Shukaku holding his shoulders.

"Now Sasuke!" Naruto's voice yelled. Sasuke jumped and punched Gaara twice in the face and kicked his chin up. He landed on the Shukaku's nose.

"No! Not when I just got free!" Shukaku yelled before his eyes stopped shinning and went dull again.

Just then a pained scream was heard through the forest. Sasuke's eyes widened. "Sakura!" Sasuke yelled. "Hey, can you get me down?" He asked Gamabunta. Gamabunta held out his hand and Sasuke jumped onto it. Gamabunta allowed him to jump to the ground and rush towards the scream. Naruto was running out of chakra was well.

* * *

It wasn't long before Gamabunta was pushed back by the Shukaku. "Damn! This guy's still got some fight in him! Naruto! Do something!" Gamabunta said.

* * *

– Sakura's P.O.V. – (Konoha Forests)

She punched me in the face and sent me flying back. I flew at her and we clashed again for a while. She was quite fast as well. It was expected since she did train with Orochimaru… I sent ice dragons at her and two managed to hit her. Freezing her hand and the Kusanagi blade…

I fly towards her but my eyes widened when she used the Chidori Nagashi, pulsing lightning chakra through her blade. The ice broke. It flowed through the air and shocked me and I screamed in pain. She flung herself at me and cut off one of my wings, before stabbing me through the abdomen, hitting me in a vital area and nicking my lungs. I yelled in pain, and coughed out blood… I whipped my tail at her feeling my strength disappearing. She flew into the tree, taken by surprise, and her leg was frozen. She had a deep cut across her back and she glared.

I felt Hyourinmaru's power disappear, and I fell to the ground gasping in pain as I hit the ground hard. Hyourinmaru turned back into a normal blade. My vision blurred and I tried to breathe and stay conscious.

"It's not time yet… but remember, sooner or later, we will have to fight and see just who is the strongest… Without any distractions… and we will create the ultimate weapon." Kuragari's voice said, before she jumped away from the area. I closed my eyes, unable to keep them open.

I could hear a voice yelling my name…

"_What's wrong, Sakura…? I thought you were going to save your friends from the pain…?" Hyourinmaru's voice spoke within my mind._

"_Hyourinmaru…"_

"_They're hurting Sakura… Not physically… but mentally… You must wake up… It's not over yet... You didn't work so hard just to leave them so early, did you?" Sode no Shiraiyuki spoke in my mind._

"_Sode no Shiraiyuki…"_

"_You're really giving up? I thought you would defeat me." Inner taunted._

"_Tch… I shouldn't be lying around here." _

I slowly stood up within the darkness and closed my eyes, concentration on my senses. Meditating, almost…

* * *

– Normal P.O.V. – (Konoha Village)

The enemy ninja rushed through the houses in the heart of the hidden leaf village, but they didn't find any woman or children. While in the arena, all the enemy ninja had been defeated within the arena.

In the shelters, Konohamaru, Udon, and Moegi all got out of the hidden room and Iruka reprimanded them. Konohamaru ran off, but bumped into the last of the civilian woman of who had been in the village at the time of the attack, all led by Anko. The evacuation had finally been completed.

"Is the evacuation complete?" Iruka asked.

"Yeah. This here's the last of them." Anko said.

"Huh? Sensei, what are you talking about?" Konohamaru asked.

"If the village is attacked by enemy forces, there are very specific instructions for the procedure we have to follow." Iruka said.

"The very first step, wipe out the enemy's advance forces and then if it becomes clear that it can't happen, we immediately step things up to phase two." Anko said.

"The total evacuation of every civilian to safety… We move the women and children into shelters that are strategically hidden throughout the village. Once that's been taken care of, we continue to phase three." Iruka said.

"So what's phase three?" Konohamaru asked.

"The elimination of the enemy by any means necessary." Iruka said.

"So then…" Konohamaru trailed off.

"As soon as we're ready, we launch our counter attack." Iruka said.

* * *

– Normal P.O.V. – (Konoha Village)

Hyuuga Hiashi fought against a group of many ninja and was able to defeat them without a scratch using his rotation. "The Leaf Village's spirit is strong! You'd do well to remember!"

* * *

Nara Shikaku had caught many ninja in his shadow possession jutsu. "Come on fellas… You've never heard of the Shadow paralysis jutsu? Then you're gonna love this next one." He made a single hand seal. "The Leaf Village's shadow Strangle jutsu…"

* * *

Akimichi Chouza used his expansion jutsu, destroying everything in his path with his large body and weapon. The enemy ninja were sent flying from his powerful attacks.

* * *

Yamanaka Inoichi made a hand seal and cast his mind destruction jutsu on a sand village ninja, making the sand village ninja fight against each other.

* * *

Hana Inuzuka and Tsume Inuzuka ran along with their wolves, attacking the enemies on the roof tops.

* * *

Jiraiya and Minato attacked with their rasengan, destroying many of the troops of sand ninja. Uzumaki Kushina attacked with her taijutsu, killing many idiots and dolts who dared to try and face her. She was pissed off, of course and scared many of the other ninja off with her temper. They should have known not to mess with Uzumaki Kushina.

* * *

The Third Hokage faced Orochimaru, in the end, sealing away Orochimaru's arms but losing his life in a battle against his old pupil… in turn, saving his village. The ninja of the sound village took Orochimaru away and saved him from the Anbu who were going to attack him.

* * *

– Naruto's P.O.V. – (Konoha Forest)

Naruto ran at Gaara but was caught by the sand. Then his Kyuubi chakra activated and he used it to get out of the sand and punch at Gaara, the sand caught his fist but he used his head and headbutted Gaara's head instead.

Gamabunta poofed away with Gamakichi and Gaara and Naruto hit each other, before landing on the ground, tiredly. Naruto got closer to Gaara, crawling with his chin.

"No... Stay away!" Gaara said with a bit of fright in his eyes.

"It's almost... unbearable isn't it... The feeling of being all alone... I know that feeling... I've been there. In that dark and lonely place... but now there are others... Other people who mean a lot to me... I care more about them then I do myself... and I won't let anyone hurt them... those are the reasons why I won't give up. I will stop you... even if I have to kill you..." Naruto said.

"But why... Why would you do this for anyone but yourself?" Gaara asked. Naruto got closer.

"Because... they saved me from myself... They rescued me from my loneliness. They were the first to accept me for who I am... They're my friends..." Naruto said. Gaara looked up at the sky and sun above him… Naruto went unconscious at that moment.

* * *

– Sakura's P.O.V. – (Konoha Forest)

I felt myself slowly coming back to reality… I could feel the pain from my abdomen but a warm chakra healing it. My lung was healed, but the wound had been deep. Someone was holding my hand tightly.

"Sakura, open your eyes! Don't do this to us!" A voice spoke.

I allowed my eyes to open up. I noticed Tsunade's determined face looking down at me. "Hey kid, you alright?" She asked, looking a little worried but also happy. I blinked in shock before nodding slowly. Shizune's face appeared in my vision behind Tsunade. I could feel the blood puddle under me…

I noticed Sasuke who had tears in his eyes. "S-sakura…?" Sasuke asked, almost relieved.

"Hey… Sasuke…" I greeted lightly. His grip tightened on my hand and he held my hand close to him, and tightly. I smiled lightly to him.

"I shouldn't… I shouldn't have let you go alone…" Sasuke murmured. I smiled weakly. I knew Tsunade was watching us, remembering Dan and her. Shizune watched Tsunade sadly.

"Heh… I'll be fine… Besides… I'm the one who insisted… so it's not your fault." I said lifting my hand and squeezing his. He looked at me in surprised and his eyes softened a little. I stared up at him tiredly. Tsunade healed my stomach wound before working on my broken ribs.

"Sasuke… Are you mad… at me…?" I asked softly trying to lighten up the mood. He stared at me for a while before realizing I was talking about his brother. Sasuke smirked lightly.

"No. I'm not a kid anymore. I don't need to follow him around all the time. I'll follow my own path as a ninja." He said. My eyes softened and I smiled lightly. "And… Naruto?" I asked.

"The moron's fine… He's the Leaf Village's knuckleheaded ninja… after all… He just ran out of gas for the time being." Sasuke said with a smirk. "Just rest Sakura, I know you're tired and want to sleep. Don't worry and just sleep." His hand touched my hair. I breathed out slightly in relief and shut my eyes slowly.

"Hm… Fine…" I said quietly, allowing my body to rest in peace, and recover under the watchful eyes of Tsunade and Shizune.

* * *

– Normal P.O.V. – (Konoha Village)

Sasuke watched as the glow from the blonde haired woman's hands disappeared. "She's going to be fine, kiddo. You'll need to help bring her back to the village though. We don't want to mess up her broken bones any further. They've moved slightly after they were broken and we'll have to reset them in the village. Shizune, can you go and check on the Namikaze kid?" The blonde haired woman asked.

"Hai!" The black haired lady dashed away.

"Um… Thank-you… for healing Sakura and helping Naruto…" Sasuke said bowing.

Tsunade looked at the Uchiha boy. He wasn't such an arrogant ass, like the other Uchiha… She suspected that the Namikaze brat and this girl had something to do with it. She smiled lightly at the bond the Uchiha and this girl shared. It really was like the one she and Dan had shared…

"Call me Tsunade, kiddo. What's your name again?" Tsunade asked.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke." Sasuke said.

"Oh. You're that Anbu prodigy brat's brother, right?" Tsunade asked.

"Itachi's brother… Yes." Sasuke said.

"Hmph. Well. I certainly like your presence better than the other arrogant Uchiha idiots. Let's get her back to the village in any case. I need to treat her in a better location." Tsunade said. Sasuke nodded and helped carry Sakura towards the village. Shizune caught up with Naruto in her arms.

"Hey, Uchiha?" Tsunade asked.

"Yeah?" Sasuke asked.

"Who's your jounnin sensei?" Tsunade asked.

"Hatake Kakashi-sensei. We're all in Team 7." Sasuke said.

"I see… That Hatake brat… No wonder. I'm not surprised his students seem to surprise everyone." Tsunade said smirking lightly. Sasuke wondered just how old this lady was, to be calling everyone brats… He knew not to voice it out of course. Women seemed quite sensitive about their age… He learned that from seeing Shisui and his interactions with women…

They had finally made it back to the village and were met by Jiraiya and the Hokage. "Tsunade…?" Jiraiya asked in shock. Tsunade's pants were covered in blood, along with her legs and feet. Her hands were covered in blood as well.

"We need to get this girl into a hospital room so that I can treat her. Your brat is ok, just exhausted completely." Tsunade said motioning to the unconscious Sakura, who was in Sasuke's arms. Minato had noticed Naruto in Shizune's arms.

"Right." Minato said.

"I guess your fear of blood is cured then…?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yeah… That girl made me curious… She's extremely skilled. I couldn't just let her die like that… There was a lot of blood… I guess I just got over it and healed her. Don't start perving on me or I'll send you to hell and back with a single punch." Tsunade said.

"Right…" Jiraiya grimaced looking back to the memories of her strength, and they made their way to the hospital while Jiraiya was sent to do recon just in case any other ninja were still lurking around within the forests.

* * *

– Sasuke's P.O.V. – (Konoha Village – Konoha Hospital)

I was sent to wait outside of the room in the hallways and everyone had come to the hospital. Her blood was still on my clothes and hands. There had been so much… My heart clenched in pain… If she died… it would be my fault… I had let her go and fight alone with the other sound girl, even when she had already been wounded so badly…

I bit my lip to prevent the cry of frustration from bursting out.

All I wanted was for everyone to be happy… I didn't want to lose anyone precious to me… Team 7… My Parents… Itachi and Shisui… Akane and her cousins… The Rookie nine… Gai's team…

I didn't know how long it had been until I found myself in the warm embrace of Mother's arms. "Sasuke!" She called me in relief. I had some bandages on my arms and legs. The black haired woman, Shizune, had healed most of my more serious looking wounds. Naruto had been left in a room to rest and recover after she had healed most of his wounds as well. I noticed Shisui and Itachi, along with Father and Kakashi coming to a stop behind mother.

"Sasuke? Are you alright? Whose blood is this…?" She asked hesitantly.

"S-sakura..." I murmured quietly. Itachi's eyes narrowed and Shisui's eyes widened. Kakashi stared at me with worry. My body was remembering the warm blood puddle under her body… The soil had been soaked with her blood. I clenched my fists. I had been so stupid to just leave her to fight like that.

"This is all Sakura's…" She asked in shock. I nodded and gritted my teeth.

"I shouldn't have let her fight alone… I should have gone to help her instead of helping Naruto…" I said, regretting my choice.

"Where is she?" Itachi asked calmly.

"That person named Tsunade brought her into that room… She healed Sakura after just coming out of nowhere…" I said.

"Then she'll be fine." Itachi said.

"How do you know that!?" I gritted my teeth standing up.

"Did this Tsunade person have blonde hair and brown eyes?" Mikoto asked with a soft smile. I nodded, slightly confused. Mikoto laughed lightly. "You don't need to worry. She's being treated by the best medical ninja in the world." She hugged me. "So just trust in Sakura's strength. She's stronger than you think." I took all the information in and I slumped back into my seat, slightly relieved.

"Yeah. Definetely… I mean, if she survived training with Itachi, then she's way stronger than any average gennin. Her spirit is strong. Don't worry about it." Shisui said with a grin. I nodded and Kakashi asked me about the mission. I reported about the whole fight we had with Gaara. Pakkun had disappeared after we left.

"I see. So that strange chakra was the one tailed Shukaku…" Kakashi said in sudden understanding. "You've all advanced beyond the average gennin level for your abilities. I'm proud of you three." Kakashi said his eye crinkling with a smile behind the mask. Sasuke nodded.

Just then the door opened. "Man… That girl is reckless beyond imagination. Even after getting her ribs fractured and broken, she stands up like nothing happened and uses even more strength… She's lucky she didn't get an internal wound, otherwise she would have drowned in her own blood!" Tsunade groaned in annoyance.

"How is she?" Kakashi asked.

"Oh. Hatake. So you're here. The kid's fine. Just needs a lot of rest… I heard that the old man is dead…?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes…" Kakashi said.

"He was getting old… but he died a true shinobi in the end. A fitting end for the Third Hokage… and teacher to the three great Sannin… though his death came at the hand of one of his own students… which is disappointing... That snake pisses me off to hell." Tsunade said cracking her knuckles.

"Can we go in and see her?" Kakashi asked.

"Hm. Go home and wash up before you come in. I'm going to keep an eye on her… She's strong, but I'm worried because she lost so much blood and she looked extremely weak." Tsunade said them. They nodded and went home to wash off and change before getting back to the hospital and being let in by Tsunade. Sasuke sat beside Sakura's bed, and stared at her sleeping face.

* * *

– Sasuke's P.O.V. – (Konoha Village)

Father and Mother went to visit Naruto, and Itachi and Shisui left to notify Akane and her cousins that Sakura was in the hospital resting and recovering from her wounds. Kakashi had gone to see Naruto as well. I stayed by Sakura's side. I knew this emotion… but did I really hold those feelings for her…? I heard a sigh from across the room.

"Take the chance to be with her before you lose it forever." Tsunade spoke. My eyes widened. Shizune gasped in surprise. I knew what she was talking about and gritted my teeth. My fists clenched.

"Tsunade-sama!" She said. Tsunade stared at me and I looked to her. Her eyes stared at me unwavering in their strength… it was clear she could read me… I looked away and stared at Sakura's face. Sakura was precious to me… but would this affect our team work in any way?

"Don't live a life full of regrets. You're still young, and you have time. But as a ninja, you never know what will happen... Do the things you want in life before you lose that time." Tsunade said. I closed my eyes and nodded slightly.

"Thank-you." I murmured. She smiled lightly with a sad look in her eyes, and left the room.

* * *

– Sakura's P.O.V. – (Konoha Village – Konoha Hospital)

I opened my eyes slowly and found myself lying in bed. I realized someone was holding my hand, and looked to see Sasuke, who had his head on the side of my bed. He was sleeping so peacefully. I smiled lightly, feeling bandages covering my chest and down to my waist. I wasn't surprised… I had a few other bandages on my hand that was held by Sasuke from the burns of the lightning chakra and bandages around my forehead due to the hit my head took from landing on the ground so hard.

I pushed myself up and sat up sighing. It was still a little early. Sasuke must have snuck in… I smiled lightly and put a hand on his head. "Nn… Sakura…?" He murmured sleepily.

"Hey, sleepy head…" I said. Sasuke's eyes widened and he sat up rubbing at his eyes.

"Sakura…" He whispered my name in shock and relief. I found myself in his embrace and my eyes widened in surprise. I felt his tears on my shoulder. I was in the usual green hospital garbs. He hugged me tightly and silently cried onto my shoulder. I sighed lightly and embraced him, closing my eyes, knowing what it was like to see someone you trusted and cared for, one of your teammates, in the hospital. He pulled back.

"Thanks." He murmured quietly, seeming embarrassed. I smiled lightly.

"No problem." I said. He sighed and looked down.

"I shouldn't have let you fight all alone. I was an idiot." Sasuke said.

"No. You did the right thing by going to fight with Naruto… She was… and is my problem… I'm the only one who can take care of it…" I said sighing and putting my bandaged hand on my head and scratching my head. "If you'd fought with me, she would have killed you… I'm quite sure."

"Why is she your problem?" Sasuke asked.

"You don't need to worry about it. Anyways, what happened? Is everyone ok?" I asked.

"The village didn't lose too many Shinobi… but the Third Hokage died, fighting Orochimaru. The funeral is going to start in a few minutes actually. I decided to stay with you because I wanted to be there when you woke up. That lady Tsunade and Shizune went to the funeral as well. Everyone else left for the funeral… I um..." He trailed off.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"SakuraIlikeyoumorethanafrien d." Sasuke muttered quietly. I stared at him, blank. I was shocked. I had heard him, but I needed to hear it again. What had brought it up anyways?

"What?" I asked, in shock.

"Please don't make me say it again…" Sasuke murmured in embarrassment with a blush.

"Please…?" I asked, still in shock.

"I… like you…" He said looking away, with an intense flush on his face. I blinked and stared. He looked down and started sputtering nonsense. "I was just so worried, and I realized that I shouldn't have made you my enemy. We became close friends in the beginning but after a little while I was a little jealous of Itachi and I didn't know why. When I saw you in the forest lying there with so much blood on the ground I was scared. I didn't know what to do. I called for help and no one came until that lady came out of the trees and started healing you. That's when I realized I didn't want to lose you. I wanted to spend more time with you… I realized I wanted more than just a normal friendship and I-"

I couldn't hold back the laughter and tears. This was amazingly ironic… In my past… he had wanted nothing to do with me… telling me I was annoying… trying to kill me… Now… just because I had changed everything, I had gained his attention without even wanting it… Sasuke had stopped speaking and just blinked at me in confusion at my laughter.

"Sakura...?" Sasuke asked confused.

"Hehe. You're so nervous, it makes me laugh. I thought Naruto would be the one to act like this when asking someone out. I always did have some feelings for you, but never showed them because I thought you weren't interested in anything more than our friendship... but ok... we can be like... "closer than just friends" for now. There's a lot going on, so I'd rather everything settle down before we actually get serious." I said. Sasuke stared for a second before smiling in relief.

"Yes… I think that's good." Sasuke said with a smile. I gripping his hand and squeezed.

"Well. It's better late than never. But… uh… I do want to go and pay my respects to Hokage-sama." I said. Sasuke nodded and took out a set of black clothes from the closet. I smiled in thanks and he let me change in my own privacy. It was hard to move because of my wounds. They weren't completely healed, but they would slowly heal on their own.

Sasuke called the doctor, who allowed me to leave for the funeral, but I was to go right back to my room after that. Sasuke helped me up and we walked out of the hospital. I was given a crutch to help me walk. It was risky to use two because they could easily push the newly healed bones out of place. We got to the Hokage's room and Mikoto noticed us first. Then the others did as well. I went with Sasuke to Naruto's side. Naruto was sad, but he seemed happy as well. Konohamaru started to cry and Iruka held him close. It had started to rain, and Sasuke seemed to glance at me worriedly. I merely looked up at the sky.

"_Even the heavens weep…" _I thought, staring up at the sky. The rain slid down my face and the bell tolled. Kakashi appeared a little later. I kept a blank face, but the rain looked like my own tears. Naruto asked why people risked their lives for other people… Iruka answered the same as before, and I closed my eyes. I wondered.

How were the people of my past doing? Were they holding up well? The rain had stopped. I opened my eyes as Kakashi responded to Naruto's "slight understanding" of Iruka's answer. I already understood… having faced death so many times… and having seen so many die. The sun started to show up behind the clouds, and I smiled.

I would never forget what they did for me in the past… and during the time at the moment…

Sasuke helped me walk with Naruto and Kakashi. Kakashi pulled out his book. "Are you sure you're supposed to be out of bed?" Kakashi asked.

"Nope! I'm supposed to be resting in the hospital, but just for this event, I came out anyways." I said with a light smile.

"Sakura! You're going straight back to the hospital! What did you think coming out here!? You're going to get sick!" Kushina yelled angrily. I moved behind Sasuke and he sweat dropped. Mikoto was laughing lightly along with Minato, and Fugaku was chuckling with his smirk plastered on his face. Itachi was sighing lightly, and Shisui was laughing a little.

I was sent back to the hospital and Tsunade checked up on me once again. I was told to get a lot of rest, and not to hit my chest area too much. I would be in the hospital for 3 more days, since I would be able to heal my bones slowly. Gai requested for her to look at Lee's injuries, and I told her about Lee's fight and told her about Lee's current state. She seemed surprised I knew so much, but left it alone and went to check on Lee.

I remembered that it was soon that the Akatsuki would appear… Kuragari was with Orochimaru… so who would take Itachi's place…? I knew I'd have to find out… I needed more information… Not only on our enemies, but also on my own powers as well… Was this the full extent of my powers? Or could I gain even more strength?

"Sakura-chan, we'll come by and visit you after team training!" Naruto said with a grin. I nodded. Kakashi left and Sasuke gave me one last concerned look. I smiled.

"I'll be fine. Go on." I said shooing him out. Sasuke nodded and left with the other two. After lunch, I was reviewing a basic medical ninjutsu scroll when someone threw a book at me. I managed to catch it and looked at it. It was one of the more advanced books Tsunade had given me for studying medical ninjutsu while I was a chunnin. She had written it herself… or Shizune had written it, while Tsunade had told her what to write. "Medical Ninjutsu: Advanced Healing..." I blinked up at the person who had thrown the book at me knowing quite well who it was.

"Read that. I think your skill is beyond that simple stuff." Tsunade said taking the scroll from my hands. I blinked in surprise to see her and Shizune there as well. Tonton was in Shizune's arms and made a sound of agreement.

"You're the one who healed me…" I said.

"Senju Tsunade. Nice to meet you." She greeted with a smirk. I stared with wide eyes in surprise. She sighed and sat down. "Your report on Lee's injuries was that of a basic Chunnin level medic. You're doing quite well and have a lot of potential, seeing as it hasn't been too long since you've entered the academy, so I want to teach you and pass on my skills to someone your age." She said.

I nearly gapped. I had to beg her to make me her apprentice in my past life… and this time I didn't even have to ask. "Um... Thanks…" I said setting the book down on my lap.

"By the way, I also want you to help me with Lee's surgery. There's a 50/50 chance he'll survive and make it through, but also a 50/50 chance it won't work and he will die." Tsunade said. My eyes widened.

"But… am I ready for something like that?" I asked in shock. I was still a gennin… and I'd be working in surgery with my master, on a comrade who had a 50/50 chance of surviving the surgery…

"If you can grasp the concept of that book by next week, I'm sure you'll be ready. I'll come in to test you in 3 days." Tsunade said with a smirk as she left the area. I stared at her.

She was another slave driver… almost worse than Itachi was… I groaned and started reading. When Akane came in with my cousins, Sasuke and his parents, Naruto, and Kakashi, I was reading the book while eating from a bowl of apples that Itachi had brought and Shisui had cut for me before he left for a mission.

"Hey, everyone." I greeted without looking up from the book.

"Sakura… what are you doing?" Akane asked staring. I groaned.

"Tsunade's insane." I growled and leaned back. "I have to finish studying this book within 3 days. Then she'll test me, and then I have to help out with the surgery on Lee." I said sighing.

"Lee? Surgery?" Kakashi asked. I sighed.

"Don't make too much of a fuss about it. She told me the only possible way of fixing his problem and allowing him to fight again… but this surgery has a 50/50 chance of working. If it does work, he'll be back up on his feet after plenty of rest and rehabilitation… but if not…" I trailed off.

"Then… What'll happen?" Sasuke asked.

"He'll die." I said. Everyone stared at me with shock.

"She's serious?" Mikoto ask in shock.

"Yeah… I don't even know why she's pushing me to do this… She's almost worse than Itachi…" I said with a slight glare at the book. Man… I had taken notes from this book, but only till the halfway point in my past life. Then Naruto had come back and we'd been sent out on missions, and all of the commotion started with the Akatsuki, Orochimaru and everything…

"Well, work hard at it. I'm sure you'll be able to do it. I'll be extremely proud of having you as my student if you succeed in saving Lee. Konoha hasn't had field medics for a long time, so it would be great if you actually made it." Kakashi said with a smile.

"That doesn't sound very comforting at all, Sensei." I growled. Kakashi chuckled and ruffled my hair. Everyone had their moment and left. Sasuke wanted to stay a while longer.

* * *

"Sakura, do you… um… want to hang out or something, after all the serious business is done with…?" Sasuke asked, a little nervously. I laughed.

"Sure. We can start with a simple outing like lunch or a short walk?" I asked. He smiled and nodded in agreement.

"It's a good idea." Sasuke said. I nodded and he left, saying goodbye. He was so different from my past life. I studied a little more before I got to rest. They days passed by quickly, and soon I was up on my feet exercising in the morning while reciting the notes I had on the book off my head, ready for the test. Tsunade entered just when I had finished a morning stretch.

"I see you're back up on your feet." Tsunade said with a light chuckle.

"Oh. Morning, Tsunade-sama." I greeted.

"Ready for my test?" Tsunade asked. I nodded and we did a verbal test. Shizune sat in the background watching in amazement as I answered every one of her questions correctly. Tsunade was smirking.

"So… how did I do?" I asked curiously.

"You're the one for sure. You've passed my test with flying colors. Not a single answer incorrect. Alright… I think you've recovered, so I'll release you myself." She said opening the wardrobe and grabbing my change of clothes that Akane had left for me to change into once I recovered. "We'll be doing the surgery tomorrow afternoon. I've go over what we need to do tomorrow morning. Meet me at Lee's hospital room at 8:00 in the morning. Tomorrow, I'll show you what we'll be using. Since I know you aren't so experienced, you'll assist in our job, and help out with the easier parts. Here, memorize this plan for the surgery. Also, keep those bandages on until tomorrow." Tsunade said handing me a scroll. I nodded and took the scroll and clothes she handed to me. I changed into my normal clothes.

I grabbed Hyourinmaru and Sode no Shiraiyuki, with a light smile, before thanking Tsunade and heading out. I sensed a disturbance in the air… and I could hear the tinkling of bells… My eyes narrowed.

Akatsuki…

* * *

I closed my eyes and focused on sensing for the chakras… There were four chakras facing off nearby. I recognized them… all four of them. Kurenai, Asuma, Kisame, and "Tobi". The Akatsuki were here…

I jumped up on to the roof tops and headed towards the battle field…

I found myself in a tree, watching Asuma and Kurenai face off with Kisame, while "Tobi" was easily teasing them and dodging them their attacks.

Tch… so he had ended up appearing earlier than later… since Itachi wasn't the one to join…

I had suspected as much…

The "Dawn" of the war had finally come…

My true fight for the future was about to begin.

* * *

**Yup yup yup! There you have it. Hope that wasn't too much of a cliffy. I felt like ending it there... SORRY. XP**

**No time to be writing a side story at the moment... cuz I'm starting on the next chapter! Hang in there you guys!**


	14. Chapter 13: To Be Promoted

**banglamiss: OMG... I finally updated after so long. haha. Sorry. School has been killing me... Even spring break, I don't get to update much because of spring break projects! Can you believe my teachers? I'm pissed off, to be honest... I'm glad you loved the confession. I felt like there was something missing tho. Ah well. I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH YOU. Hina has been taking the spotlight... but Saku's supposed to be the main character here, hellooo...? LOOL. Oh! If you have a time travel fic on paper, then just post it up! My dad tries to discourage me from time to time, but now I just ignore it. LOOL. it's my life, I do what I want! Be a rebel! I get annoyed too of course. As for your fic, I'll get to giving you feed back!  
**

**Jasmine-.-Momo-chan: LOOOL. thanks! hahah. I know, stories get so intense sometimes! OH yah. Kisame's awesome. Hm... I haven't thought about Kisame turning. I might add it in. Not sure yet though. He's pretty cool, I agree with you about that though. As for Sasuke's new teacher, you'll see! :D This fic is very adjustable, so far at least, so I'm not truly sure who Sasuke's teacher will be. :P**

**bluebaby: Awww! Thanks! I love Sasusaku - they're really cute as children. :D keep up the reviews!**

** .23: haha. Thanks for the review! The next chappie here!**

**Vbabeofhearts: HAHAHA. Tobi's gonna be Obito actually. I changed it. :P The storyline I planned out could have Madara as Tobi or Obito as Tobi actually. It's not exactly going to follow the full storyline but it's gonna be pretty close for the first story at least. Sequel no sooo much. haha. Saku whooping ass every single fight does kinda get boring after a while. That's why they need to train after all. :D**

**hellokitty: Hm... Kuragari did join Orochimaru. Orochimaru did take her in as a replacement of Sasuke. About Sakura fighting Tobi, sakura in my story doesn't want his attention just yet, so she's kinda keeping a low profile but not really. You'll see.**

**mischief maker: Thanks! :D I might write some bleach stories later on, but I'm more focused on Naruto at the moment. maybe later.**

**crazy reader 241: Tobi is Obito, yes.**

**zigmas: Thanks! Hahah. I finally updated!**

**sakura2113: Thank-you! please keep reviewing!**

**LoverForAnime: Not really. haha. I couldn't update in like... forever! School was like killer. O_O''' Sasuke in this story I find him to be really really cute! I love writing about him too. :D **

**LithiaRW: Sorry! hahah. I stopped and didn't write in so long! haha. :D I love writing about the romance between Sasuke and Sakura since they're extremely cute in this fic now. Sasuke's all shy and cute, while Sakura has no idea what will come up with Sasuke since he's now good and all. :D I found that Gaara and Naruto would usually be the only ones to connect to each other because they're both jinchuuriki. I know that Sakura's kindness would probably be good for Gaara but Naruto seemed to fit more for this story. Actually, to be honest, I didn't really like the idea of OCs in this story either, but I added them in anyways because I felt like I should try it out anyways.**

** : Hahah. Thanks! Oh yah. I should really add in Naruto and his parents talking... forget to built character on others sometimes. =.=''' thanks for the reminder!**

**Sakura -Haruno- Uchiha 10: Hahah. Thanks! It's sort of hard to put the jutus and blades in, but I get used to it. Thanks! Sorry for the late update!**

**Ruined Doll: Thanks! Continue to review please! Thx~!**

**Morningstar 236: Thanks! hahah. Sasuke was sort of hard to figure out about his personality because there were only like 2-3 episodes of him acting like a normal child who was happy with his life.**

**mun3litKnight: Awww. Thanks! I haven't written in so long. I've been so tempted to update, but I had way too much homework! Time managing is hard. I'm really tempted to procrastinate half the time!**

**geminine: hahah. Thanks. I just really wanted to make a good time travel fic. The planning was pretty hard to figure out actually, to make it work with the ideas that pop up randomly in my head sometimes when I read reviews! Please review again!**

**angelpanda-chan: Hahaha. thanks! Inner is... well... She's part of my plans in the future. "Tobi" is Obito! I decided to make him Obito in the end. He could fit Madara's part or Obito's part, but I decided on Obito. Thanks for reading and reviewing! Review again! Thx. :D**

**aliya87: now! Hahha. Sorry about the late review!**

**animelover171: Here's your new update!**

**pinkgirl34: Definitely plan on finishing it. Schools been really tough lately, so... yah.**

**leafstone: thanks!**

**Lupe: here's your next update!**

* * *

OMG. I finally finished! Here's the chapter!

* * *

Legend:

"_Thought"  
_"Speech"_  
__"Spirit/God/Goddess/Any spiritual-like being"__**  
"Demon/Tailed Beast"  
**_**"Emphasis"  
**Japanese name/catchword (Translation)  
**Singing**_**(Translation)**_

– Point of View P.O.V. – (Place)  
Chapter Number: Chapter Title

* * *

Chapter Thirteen: To Be Promoted…

– Sakura's P.O.V. – (Konoha Village)

I hid in the trees, watching as Kisame, Asuma, and Kurenai battled. "Tobi" wasn't doing much attacking, mostly dodging, but it wasn't long before he kicked Kurenai into the water and Kakashi showed up. I kept myself hidden keeping away from Tobi's eye sight knowing if he caught me in his sight with his Sharingan, he would suspect me for not popping out to help my sensei. It wasn't long after that Gai showed up. Kakashi hadn't been caught in Tsukiyomi and Itachi along with Shisui showed up just after the two Akatsuki members disappeared and fled.

* * *

I left the area, and thought about my plans of what to do. I knew we wouldn't be able to touch "Tobi" until the Great War… My eyes widened in realization… If I had stopped the massacre, did Itachi ever learn about the Mangekyou Sharingan…? How had Kakashi gained the Mangekyou Sharingan without killing his own best friend anyways?

I wondered for a while about the Mangekyou Sharingan.

I needed to figure it out and study the Sharingan more deeply… I decided even if Sasuke's sharingan wasn't fully developed yet, it was a chance to study the Sharingan on my own. I would ask him to allow me to look at his Sharingan with medical ninjutsu after the surgery.

* * *

"Saku-hime! I finally found you!" I heard a familiar voice call. I looked to see Shisui speeding towards me, and I dodged his hug, side stepping away from him. He fell to the ground and cried.

"Oww! That hurts! Why'd you dodge!?" He whined.

"Sorry. I'm still kind of sore and Tsunade told me not to put too much pressure on the bones that broke." I said sweat dropping.

"Shisui, I will never understand how you ever got to Anbu." Genma said. I blinked to see Naruto's parents, the exam proctors from the Chunnin exams, Ibiki, Anko, and Genma, along with the two Chunnin that had been forced to do half of Tsunade's work in my past life, Izumo and Kotetsu, Itachi, along with Shikamaru walking towards me.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the hospital? We were looking all over the place for you." Itachi said.

"Oh. Hehe. I was released this morning by Tsunade…" I said.

"You're better at least." Shisui said with a cheerful grin.

"Sakura, you must come with us." Itachi said.

"Ehh? Why?" I asked tilting my head in slight confusion. I knew that the Hokage had probably decided on nominating me as Chunnin. I was surprised though. "We'll head over to the Hokage's tower first then!" Shisui grabbed my arm. I blinked and Shisui flickered to the tower.

* * *

We appeared in the office and the Hokage and the rest of the people appeared in the office second later. "Uhhhh… What's going on? Does this have anything to do with the Chunnin exams?" I asked confused.

"Don't ask me… Troublesome…" Shikamaru groaned.

"Sakura, you are correct. This is about the Chunnin exams." Minato said. Shikamaru looked bored and I blinked, in slight daze. "To be honest with you, we don't really know what to do. With the final exam being suspended, it was the opinion of many, that none of the students should pass this time around, including the both of you." Minato said with a serious voice.

"However, the Third Hokage had nothing but the highest praise for the both of your battles. He and all of the others who watched the matches, along with the proctors and I, believed that you both had the skills of a Chunnin level leader… So in this case, we've made you both exceptions." Minato said with a smile.

I stared. Shikamaru stared. We were both shocked and surprised, but also blank. The Fourth Hokage chuckled. Anko and Genma had smirks on their faces, while Ibiki was blank. Itachi had a soft smile on his face, while Shisui had a wide grin. Izumo and Kotetsu both had smiles on their faces. Kushina grinned. "From this day forth, I hope you both will strive to achieve a level of excellence worthy of that headband. Congratulations. As of this moment, you both stand Chunnin!" Minato said with a grin.

"Here are your new vests. You can decide on wearing them or not, it's your choice." Kushina said. I took my flak jacket and remembered wearing the very same thing during the Great War… I smirked lightly before deciding that I'd wear the same black shorts and pink skirt from my Chunnin times in my past, and a black sleeveless shirt under the Chunnin vest with fingerless gloves that covered up to my biceps along with my old boots.

"Arigatou." I bowed deeply. Shikamaru did the same. We both left the room and then looked at each other. "Man… This is going to be annoying. Naruto and Sasuke will be complaining once they hear about my promotion." I said sighing in annoyance. "But it's not surprising you got promoted really." I said looking to Shikamaru.

"Eh? Me? I didn't even think about getting promoted." Shikamaru groaned. I laughed.

"You're a lazy genius after all. It's not surprising." I said smirking. Shikamaru huffed and we left the Hokage's tower.

* * *

I headed back home and greeted Akane, Asami, and Miyuki. I told them about my promotion and they congratulated me. I went shopping for my new outfit and changed into my new Chunnin flak jacket, the old shorts, and pink skirt along with my boots and gloves before I went to the training grounds, knowing I would find Team 7 there. I knew Kakashi had probably already known about my promotion to Chunnin.

I could see Naruto and Sasuke sparring. Kakashi was in the trees reading his book. Naruto was being beaten by Sasuke, as usual… Sasuke's speed was too fast for Naruto to catch.

* * *

"Hey you guys." I called out greeting them as I entered the area.

"Sa-…!" Naruto started, he looked at my outfit in surprise. "…kura-chan… What's with the new outfit?" Naruto asked confused.

"Hello my dear student. I see you're out of the sick bed. Congratulations on your promotion to Chunnin." Kakashi said with a smile as he jumped down and patted my head.

"What?! You got promoted to Chunnin!?" Sasuke and Naruto asked in shock.

"Well. Apparently, no one was supposed to be promoted, because of the Chunnin exams being suspended, but Shikamaru and I both got the recommendations of all the people who watched, along with the Third's recommendation, so we were promoted anyways." I said.

"What?! Shikamaru too?!" Naruto asked in shock.

"Yeah." I said.

"NO FAIR!" Naruto whined, looking depressed. He started complaining. Kakashi and I laughed lightly at Naruto. Sasuke merely smirked at Naruto's complaining.

"Congratulations!" Sasuke said with a soft smile. I smiled lightly to him in thanks.

"Well, you two should continue your spar. Sakura, are you well enough to train?" Kakashi asked.

"Yeah, but I just wanted to hang out here and study the procedure for Lee's surgery tomorrow afternoon." I said.

"I see. Go ahead and study then. I hear Gai and Lee have both been contemplating for a while, before accepting the proposal. Lee has been worried a lot." Kakashi said. I nodded knowing the feeling of being so close to death and having a choice at it.

"Don't worry. I'll be sure to see to it that he survives." I said. Kakashi nodded and I sat down against a tree, reviewing the procedure in my mind. Soon it got darker and we walked back home together. Naruto and Kakashi left and I walked with Sasuke back towards my house.

"Good luck." Sasuke said. I smiled.

"Thanks, Sasuke." I said. He left the area and went home. I went back and greeted Yuki with a hug and a long belly rub. She had been sleeping when I had gotten home earlier that day.

* * *

We both slept well, and I woke up in the morning, to head to the hospital, after taking off the bandages.

I met up with Tsunade at Lee's room, and found his team with Lee inside. "Eh…? Sakura-san…" Lee murmured in surprise. I smiled.

"I've been working at my medical ninjutsu. Tsunade-sama's been helping a bit with my learning, so I'll be assisting in the surgery. Stay strong Lee." I said with a smile. Lee smiled and saluted to me.

"Hai!" He said with a determined look in his eyes. Tsunade smiled.

"Alright Sakura, I want you to look over his injuries using your medical ninjutsu. Then we'll go over the procedure in the surgery room. I trust you memorized it?" Tsunade asked. I nodded.

"Good. Now go ahead." She said. Lee sat down and I closed my eyes, focusing and seeing into his body. I could see the bone fragments in his spinal column. I knew it was a miracle but also Lee's strength that allowed him to move his body around like he was able to. I opened my eyes.

"Good. Looks like you've seen it." Tsunade said. I nodded.

"We'll head down to the surgery room." She said. We headed to the surgery room and Tsunade showed me all the tools we'd be using. It'd be dangerous… but if we managed to pull it off, Lee would be able to fight again. The time final came for the surgery.

* * *

I used the gas mask and we kept him asleep for a few short minutes, preparing, before we started. His teammates were waiting outside. I did most of the healing along with Shizune at the end, and bandaged him up. He looked fine at the end and we checked his state.

"Looks like we succeeded… His vitals are stable, nerve pathways are fine…" Shizune reported. Tsunade smiled.

"Good. Looks like he pulled through. We'll have to keep an eye on him for a while." Tsunade said. I nodded and removed the mask. We kept an eye on him until he woke up. He opened his eyes slowly. Tsunade smiled.

"How are you feeling, kiddo?" Tsunade asked.

"Is it done…?" Lee asked tiredly.

"Hai. It's done. Please make sure you rest for the time being Lee, and don't get out of bed until we release you or you'll undo everything we did for you." I said. Lee nodded tiredly and closed his eyes once again. Shizune announced the news to his team and we wheeled him out of the room, back into his old room.

"Thank-you!" Gai thanked us and I sweat dropped.

"It wasn't much." I said.

"Are you a Chunnin now, Sakura?" Neji asked.

"Eh? Oh… Yes… Only Shikamaru and I got promoted even when it was believed that all the students shouldn't pass this time around, but since we got recommendations from all of the judges, proctors, and the Third along with the Fourth, we were promoted to Chunnin." I said.

"Wow! That's amazing! Congratulations!" Tenten said with a smile.

"Thanks." I said smiling lightly.

* * *

After that, I left the hospital and went to meet up with the Team at the training grounds and I reported to them about the surgery before I sparred with Sasuke. We worked on pure taijutsu, without using any chakra. I was able to beat Sasuke in the end. My blows were pretty powerful even without chakra. Naruto tried to beat me, but he wasn't able to either. At the end of the training session, Kakashi told us we'd be getting missions the next day since I had finally recovered from my wounds.

I walked home with Sasuke and decided to ask him. "Hey, Sasuke?" I asked. Sasuke looked at me showing his acknowledgment. "Do you think I could do some medical studies on the Sharingan?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Like... medical scanning sessions. I want to see just how it works as a kekei genkai because Kakashi-sensei's eye strains his body, maybe there's a way for him to lessen the strain if I study the normal Uchiha eye. I'll probably ask Hinata as well in the future but this has more of a point in it." I said.

"I guess so. It wouldn't do any harm. We can arrange them whenever you like." He said with a smile. I nodded.

"Thanks!" I said. He smiled back before we parted ways at my house.

* * *

I got home and I found my cousins in my room looking at something. "What are you guys doing?" I asked.

"Sakura! These songs are amazing!" Akane said looking up from my desk. I blushed and grabbed the papers from her hands.

"Why did you guys…" I murmured in embarrassment.

"I wanted to clean your room since you're always busy on all your missions and I found your songs in this box. Sorry if you didn't want anyone to know, but I really think these songs are amazing! We should perform them!" Akane said giving me the box. Asami and Miyuki gave me the song papers. I sighed.

"These were the songs I'd play when I was alone…" I said.

"They're all sad songs, but they're so beautiful." Akane said.

"Exactly. Sad songs don't really fit if we're putting up a concert." I said.

"Why did you write these sad songs anyways?" Miyuki asked. I sighed and walked in, setting the box on the bed.

"I was thinking… about the island. It's so separated from everything… We all lived peaceful lives, but how could we be so selfish, when there are other people suffering out in the world…?" I said. They looked surprised. "So I wrote these songs for those people who were suffering, out in the world… I'd have these dreams of people suffering… Someone's life destroyed because of the choices other people make… people who are suffering even when they shouldn't… I wrote these songs to remind myself that we're not alone in this world..." I said, thinking of Naruto and Sasuke in my past life. I looked at them. They looked shocked.

"I thought your reason was to bring peace to the world…?" Akane asked in confusion.

"It was another reason why I wanted to become a ninja, and travel the world, to see these people, and maybe save them from their sadness… I also wanted peace for the world like on the island where everyone supports each other… For everyone to be at peace and help each other no matter who it is… That's what I wanted." I said.

"Sakura… You really are amazing…" Akane said smiling lightly. I blinked at her. "Itachi told me your progress as a gennin in training is much faster than he had progressed in the past. Your dream is exactly like his as well…"

"Hm… I'll try to write some happier toned songs, but for now we'll sing the songs that we have from home. Don't tell anyone about these." I said placing my songs back inside the box. My cousins nodded.

* * *

The next day at training, Sasuke and Naruto were there, and I met up with them. I sensed many Anbu black ops keep an eye on Naruto from the forests. We waited until Kakashi-sensei showed up, but we were surprised to see another man with him. Jiraiya. I recognized him, but I didn't show it. "Alright you guys. Naruto, you'll be sent out on a training mission with Master Jiraiya." Kakashi said.

"Ehh? Pervy Sage?" Naruto asked.

"He's your Father's teacher, Naruto, and he's one of the three great Sannin. Have some more respect." Kakashi said. Naruto stared in shock. I was guessing that the Fourth Hokage hadn't bothered telling Naruto, since Naruto would ask why his father wouldn't train him himself.

"What? So I have to go on a training mission?" Naruto asked.

"You'll be heading out of the village." Kakashi said.

"Seriously?! That's soo cool!" Naruto said grinning excitedly.

"Hmph. You'll still be a loser by the time you get back." Sasuke said with an arrogant smirk. Naruto growled. The two of them glared at each other, with sparks coming from their eyes.

"Can you two just grow up already…?" I murmured to myself, with a sigh. Kakashi sweat dropped. Jiraiya chuckled and grabbed Naruto, dragging him off. I sweat dropped. I wasn't surprised though. The Fourth Hokage must have heard about the Akatsuki and sent for Jiraiya to get Naruto out of the village.

* * *

"Now, let's get to training shall we?" Kakashi asked.

"Right." I nodded. Sasuke nodded. We both fought with taijutsu, and weapons and weren't allowed to use chakra as usual. Sasuke was asking why we weren't allowed to use chakra in our training sessions so far. I knew most Uchiha relied on their Sharingan too much, being so arrogant that it could help them do anything.

"We're doing this so you can learn to fight without the Sharingan." I said. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at me. "The Sharingan is a useful tool, but you have to learn to conserve your chakra. Use it like it's a last resort option against someone powerful you know that you can't beat." I said.

Sasuke seemed to understand. Kakashi nodded in agreement. "The Sharingan may not tax you a lot, but in my case, it's extremely taxing to both my body and my chakra supply. In any case, I've learned to fight well enough without the Sharingan, and it's a good idea that you should learn to fight without it as well." Kakashi said.

We battled until around lunch time. Kakashi left us to go and eat by himself. Sasuke and I decided to go over to the Uchiha compound for lunch. I wasn't surprised to find that Itachi and Shisui weren't around, since the village had been attacked not too long ago. I hadn't seen them at the training rooms for a while, but I still trained in them on my own.

* * *

"Is Itachi-nii back yet?" Sasuke asked his mother who was in the kitchen. I wasn't surprised to find his Father sitting at the table, reading newspaper as usual.

"Nope, he did say he'd be home by tomorrow or the day after if they were any delays on his mission though." Mikoto said at the table making lunch.

"I brought Sakura over for lunch." Sasuke said as I followed him in.

"Oh! Sakura!" Mikoto greeted me with a hug. "I heard you've been promoted. Congratulations! I see your wounds have healed as well. I'm glad you're feeling alright." Mikoto said smiling lightly.

"Arigatou." I said with a soft smile.

* * *

We talked and had lunch. Fugaku would ask me about our training, and I'd talk about Sasuke's progress with his abilities and what we were doing. Fugaku seemed surprised about not using the Sharingan, but he seemed to understand it was a smart idea because conserving chakra would do a lot for a fight in the long run. Mikoto would ask me about how my cousins were doing, and all of our friends. She had also heard about Lee's surgery. I had gone to check on Lee with Tsunade's permission of course, but he hadn't woken up yet. Tsunade had made a medicine for him to take to help him recover faster.

* * *

After lunch, I thanked Mikoto for the food and Sasuke and I went to training at the training grounds once again. After that, in the evening, I trained inside training room 13 as usual. Then I went to the Hidden Cave that Shisui had shown me to improve my skill and control over the bankai, and also improve the duration of time and the number of attacks I could use with it. I had noticed during the fight with Kuragari, that my control over its power wasn't very good and about 2 attacks I used with the dragon would destroy one full petal, giving me about 24 dragons before my whole bankai would disappear. I went home and rested and the next day, I met up with Kakashi and Sasuke at the bridge.

"Sakura, you have a mission from the fourth Hokage. You are to see him about 20 minutes ago." Kakashi said. I twitched and glared.

"Thanks, Kakashi-sensei." I said slightly annoyed. I turned to Sasuke.

"I'll see you later!" I called, before flickering away. I quickly entered the Hokage's tower and got to the Hokage's office. I knocked on the door and I was told to go in. The fourth looked up.

"I'm sorry I'm late." I apologized.

"It's alright. It was expected. After all, I did send Kakashi." He said. The Fourth Hokage looked up at me. "Sakura, I'm giving you a solo mission. It's a C-rank mission that could turn to a B or A rank, so be careful. I want you to deliver this scroll to Master Jiraiya, the sannin." He said.

"The one Naruto's training with?" I asked.

"Yes. As you know, the two have gone on a training mission for a month out of the village. They should be in Otafuku town at the moment. Hurry on there. I know you want to know what's within the scroll, so I'll tell you a bit, since you are Naruto's teammate. He's been targeted by an organization called the Akatsuki, and they'd infiltrated the village right after the attack from Orochimaru. You'll need to keep hidden. This is information we've gathered on the organization itself. You're free to stay on vacation for the month, until Naruto comes back." The Fourth said handing me the scroll.

"Minato, I can go with her if you're that worried." A voice called. I looked to see Tsunade and Shizune had walked in.

"Tsunade? But…" Minato started.

"It's ok. I haven't seen that idiot Jiraiya for a while. I can train the kid on the way as well. She's one of a kind." Tsunade said patting my head.

"Alright then." Minato said.

"I doubt Naruto knows that he's been targeted, does he? And you sent him on the mission to get him out of the village to try and get them off of his trail?" I asked.

"No, Naruto doesn't know, and yes, it was an attempt, but it failed. However, I'm sure that Jiraiya has the ability to protect him. Please keep this information from Naruto. I'm pretty sure you know how he'd react to the information." The Fourth said. I laughed lightly with a grin and nodded in understanding as I slipped the scroll into my weapon's pouch.

"Of course. He'd complain about how he could handle himself and probably say he'd be able to kick their asses and bring himself straight to them on a silver platter." I said. The Fourth chuckled and nodded in agreement before sending me off.

I went home and let my cousins know I was heading out for a mission before meeting with Tsunade and Shizune at the gates.

"Alright kiddo, I just want to let you know something." She said. I blinked at her and tilted my head.

"What?" I asked.

"Don't call me Tsunade-sama or hime, call me Shishou (Master). I asked Minato to give me permission to teach you, but it's your choice to accept the apprenticeship. For now, since we're on this mission, I can teach you a few things but after this mission, I'll be at the hospital. You can just come in and ask for me." Tsunade said. I blinked in surprised before smiled.

"Hai." I said. I would accept the apprenticeship when Naruto left for his 3 year training with Jiraiya…

* * *

We all travelled towards Otafuku town and when we finally reached the area. I asked the apartment owners and we finally found the apartment that they were staying at. I sensed the Akatsuki and ran up. "Sakura, where are you going?" Shizune asked. I ran up the stairs and quickly turned the hallway to see Kisame and Tobi in the hall with Naruto at the door.

"Naruto get away from them!" I called as I dashed forwards.

"S-sakura-chan…?" Naruto asked in shock.

I ran at Kisame, kicking him in the side with a chakra infused blow, breaking a rib or two. He flew to the other end of the hall and hit the wall in surprise. Tobi reached out for me but I dodged and kicked at his body. He dodged playfully and jumped back to Kisame's side.

Kisame got up. "My my, that was sneaky." Kisame growled before rushing at me. I knew I had his attention and pushed Naruto out of the way as his Samedha smashed through the wall and I dodged the attack. Tsunade and Shizune appeared along with Jiraiya who had a woman over his shoulder. He set her down.

"Kisame-sempai! Let's go back already!" Tobi called. "Our fun has ended for now!"

"You aren't getting away! Ninja Art: Toad Mouth Trap!" Jiraiya called out making the hand signs. We appeared to be within the stomach of a toad, but I knew Tobi could easily get away using the dimensional jutsu. As I expected, they both disappeared in a swirl of the air and Jiraiya narrowed his eyes.

"That was… dimensional ninjutsu… Is that even possible?" I said in shock. Jiraiya sighed and looked around the stomach of the toad before deactivating his ninjutsu.

"It looks like they got away… Those guys are powerful…" Jiraiya said.

"Oh. Jiraiya-sama, here's a scroll with some information that the Hokage wanted you to know." I said pulling out the scroll and holding it out to Jiraiya. Jiraiya took the scroll and nodded.

"Thanks kid." Jiraiya said, nodding to me.

"Sakura-chan! What are you doing here?" Naruto asked.

"Your father sent me out of the village to get me to give the scroll to the old guy." I said pointing to Jiraiya. "Tsunade-shishou and Shizune decided to tag along to help me train on my medical ninjutsu." I said motioning to Shizune and Tsunade.

"Yeah. Why don't we stick together for a while? It'll probably be a good idea." Jiraiya said with a slightly serious tone that only Tsunade, Shizune and I could hear. Naruto was totally clueless.

"Yeah sure. Whatever." Tsunade said.

"Ahah! You're going to be a pervert as usual, Pervy Sage!" Naruto accused to Jiraiya. Tsunade smirked.

"Pervy Sage? Is that what the kid calls you? Nice one, brat." Tsunade said laughing. Jiraiya groaned and I laughed lightly at them. We hung around together and Tsunade, Shizune and I got a room at the inn. We traveled to another town that held festivals.

"We'll be hanging around here for a while." Jiraiya said. I sighed.

"Let's get to training then, Shishou." I said. Tsunade nodded with a smirk.

"Ehh? But what about the festival?" Naruto whined.

"You can hang around and relax before you start training, since your trainer is Jiraiya, not Tsunade-shishou." I said. Naruto turned to Jiraiya, and I knew Jiraiya would take all of his money to hang around in a bar. I wasn't surprised.

* * *

Tsunade and I worked on our insane strength further outside of the village, not wanting the quakes of our strength to alarm the villagers and people living in the town. She taught me some of the old healing techniques I knew and gave me some pointers on removing poisons. My chakra was completely depleted by the end of the day and I found myself in bed, completely exhausted.

Tsunade worked me to the bone, and continued to teach me new jutsu every day. I was surprised she was working me so quickly through the jutsu. She seemed to see I was able to do them after a few tries and quickly moved on. We finally got to the seals with medical ninjutsu… Tsunade was teaching me to write good calligraphy and quickly. I had been started on the basics of the calligraphy for seals, but it was hard work and I needed more practice.

Naruto worked on mastering the Rasengan, and Tsunade had told Jiraiya it was a hard strain on Naruto's chakra system, but Naruto never stopped trying. I soothed his pain slightly every night when Jiraiya was asleep. Tsunade had turned a blind eye, I knew that. Shizune didn't know about me healing Naruto. Naruto continued to train and I worked on calligraphy.

There were nights I couldn't sleep because of nightmares of the past… I could remember Sasuke's darkness… and his hatred… I had feared for both Naruto and Sasuke…

When I would wake up from these nightmares, I knew Tsunade was awake, but acting as if she was asleep. I'd get out of bed and practice calligraphy. I was getting a lot better very quickly with the amount of practice I did every day. My training didn't stop either of course. I'd go out to fly with my bankai practicing my control over the extra limbs and controlling my speed.

* * *

After my calligraphy was good enough for performing seals, Tsunade started to teach me about the different seals there were. The Uzumaki clan had more information on seals, but she taught me the basics of creating her secret mark seal. I realized when I checked her seal with my chakra, that it felt exactly like the necklace that Father had given me, only the necklace didn't store away my own chakra…

In my necklace, it felt more like many chakras were stored within the necklace and were switching parts of my chakra into the necklace and giving me back some chakra if I needed it, before storing up again in the night when I was resting. It was like an extra pocket of chakra I could draw out of.

I also practiced calligraphy with my water manipulation technique. I could use my water manipulation to control ink and blood to write the characters.

Naruto was cheering about how he had finally popped the water balloon and the air balloon and I congratulated him, happily. He seemed a little down though. I had noticed when we were on the way to Tanzaku town.

"Naruto, what's keeping you down in the dumps?" I asked. Naruto looked up at me.

"Don't you miss home…?" He asked.

"Home… huh…" I said looking up at the sky, before closing my eyes in memories of the past. Home… the place where Team 7 had been together in my past… Home had no longer really been home when Naruto and Sasuke left… Though I had my parents in Konoha in that time… It still never really felt like home…

"Oh right. You lived away from Konoha didn't you? Why'd you decide to leave your home village anyways?" Naruto asked.

"Hm… A change in scenery… I guess. That was what I needed, but I also had an aim for the future. I never really was courageous enough to take the chance. At least until I met Itachi." I said.

"Eh? Sasuke's brother? You met him before coming to Konoha?" He asked in surprise. I knew the Sannin and Shizune were listening in curiously.

"Yup. I was around the age of 3 or 4 back then. He didn't talk much… and he still doesn't talk much…" I deadpanned. Naruto snickered. "…but he was a good friend. My home was cut off from the outer world, almost. Not too many tourists from the main-land. We got most of our tourists from the other islands nearby. Our island was as peaceful as you could get." I said.

"How'd you meet Itachi?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Funny story actually. I found him wounded and knocked out on the beach when I was out for a quick run and pulled him in. My parents took care of his wounds and as soon as he woke up, I dragged him down to eat with my family." I said grinning. Naruto snickered.

"What happened after?" Naruto asked.

"We didn't ask about his home or anything, and he didn't say anything. He was just known as 'that boy' or 'kiddo'. We made up random nicknames for him since he didn't tell us his name, and we could tell he wanted his privacy. He seemed to open up to me though. I was a little surprised, but I guess it was because he had Sasuke as his younger brother, who was the same age as me. I learned about ninja in the world and he told me a lot about the mainland." I said.

"Ehh?" Naruto asked in surprise.

"Yeah. Then I asked him why he was a ninja. He told me what his dream was and asked me to keep it a secret of course." I said grinning.

"Is that why you left home and became a ninja?" Naruto asked. I nodded.

"I realized our dreams were similar… and so I decided to become a ninja too, not long after. Of course, I missed my parents, but to chase after my dreams was something important to me… I knew I'd have to grow up from being a kid someday." I said. Naruto seemed to nod in understanding.

"I guess so… Everyone has to grow up someday." Naruto said.

"Hehe, but I think you should just stay the way you are, since you are Naruto, and you wouldn't be Naruto if you just grew up so fast." I said ruffling his hair.

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto whined. I laughed at him and the adults chuckled lightly at the two of us. I noticed the town just over the horizon and sped forwards to the edge of the hill.

"Wow." I murmured in amazement. The others caught up and admired the view, and we continued our journey into the town. I had a feeling something was going to happen though. We were a few hours away when Jiraiya decided to take a break. Naruto started his concentration on the delicate balloon in his hand, continuously popping the small balloons with his chakra.

Jiraiya had taken some ear plugs and popped them in his ears to take a nap. Naruto tried to wake him up, but he just wouldn't wake up. "Sakura-chan! Can you help me wake the pervy sage up?" Naruto whined. I sighed and flicked my hand, allowing the water to blast into Jiraiya's face. He sputtered and coughed, popping the ear plugs out of his ears, looking around for the one who had blasted the water in his face. Tsunade and Shizune burst out laughing along with Naruto, I merely gave Jiraiya a look of amusement and he stared at me, his eye twitching.

"Don't blame me. Naruto told me to wake you up." I said smiling lightly and stretching as I stood up.

"That was way tooo funny, Sakura-chan!" Naruto said laughing and rolling on the ground. I smiled lightly and we finally reached Tanzaku town. Shizune asked to explore the castle and I went with her and Tsunade. We looked around before settling down at an inn in the town. Naruto continued to practice the Rasengan. Tsunade said it was too hard a technique and decided to make the bet with Naruto on the necklace. Naruto would complete the technique in a week and if he did, she'd throw in her necklace on the bet and acknowledge him to be able to reach Hokage someday… Shizune had been shocked.

* * *

I lay on the roof alone, bending the moisture in the air to my will. It formed a ball of water before me and I could see my own reflection in it. I could see the past within my eyes… sadness… regret… I allowed the sphere of water to turn to ice, as I heard someone come up onto the roof. I sat up and looked back to see Tsunade had come up. "May I sit with you?" She asked. I nodded and she sat down beside me, looking down at her necklace. I knew of the memories that came with it. We both sat in silence in the small comfort of each other's presence.

I sighed lightly and held the ball of ice in my hands lightly, tossing it up and down in my hands before staring at it for a short while, and then looking through the ice sphere at the moon for a short while. My green eye reflected on the surface of the ice barely and I activated my kekei genkai.

Tsunade kept an eye on me. The ice cracked. I narrowed my eyes slightly. My ice had been perfectly compacted… The crack… Was it a bad omen…?

Wait. I remember Naruto had told me that the Sannin face off had been at the end of the week of his Rasengan bet with Tsunade… Would Orochimaru appear…? Kabuto I knew would come along with him… And… Kuragari… would she come along as well…?

After that, I closed my eyes and shattered the sphere into sparkles of ice powder, with a heavy sigh. I allowed my eyes to return back to normal. She looked at me in slight curiosity. "Something wrong…?" She asked.

"A bad omen… I have a bad feeling about this place. Something bad is going to happen." I said looking up at the near full moon. On the last day of Naruto's bet, the full moon had been up on the night before… Tsunade looked at me. I sighed. "I'll be getting to bed… Do you need anything?" I asked.

"No. It's fine." She said. I looked at her before nodding and leaving her to her own thoughts. I saw Naruto leaving the inn but I didn't say anything about it. He was rushing off to train…

* * *

The days passed by, and I continued to practice my sealing jutsu, asking Jiraiya for advice. He admitted that he did see potential in me for sealing ninjutsu and so he taught me the basics of creating more complex seals. I had asked him to take a look at my necklace to see what kind of seal was on it. He seemed surprised and had been quiet interested in it for one of the days, he had actually worked on figuring out the seal. I asked him not to undo the seal because it was a family treasure and so he allowed me to watch him work on it. I knew there was some kind of seal in it because I had been less tired lately even after training sessions at the same level that Itachi would have given me, and I knew it had something to do with the necklace.

The seal was an A-rank fuuinjutsu (Sealing Technique). He gave me the formula for the sealing technique, and he said there was a part missing in his own formula, when he tried to recreate the seal in another object, and he believed that only the blood of my family was able to cast the seal. I wasn't surprised. He didn't know I was related to the Uzumaki clan in a way. It was my father's grandmother's necklace after all. I thanked Jiraiya for his help and kept the scroll with the formula inside my bag.

* * *

The next day, we were heading out of the village to go back to the Leaf village. It was getting close to the end of the month. We were walking when suddenly the castle was flattened by a massive snake. I sensed a familiar presence and quickly drew Hyourinmaru in seconds, and clashed with another blade. I knew it was her. So she had come with Kabuto and Orochimaru after all…

The dust cleared and I was holding my blade against hers. She smirked at me while I gritted my teeth.

"_Kuragari_…" I greeted with a low growl.

"Nice to see you again too, _Sakura_… I see you're a Chunnin now, as expected." She said with a dark grin. We both jumped back. I landed by Tsunade's side, while she landed beside Orochimaru.

Jiraiya, Shizune, Tsunade, and Naruto were surprised I knew Kuragari and at how I had reacted so quickly. Kabuto looked at us curiously, while Orochimaru grinned even as fatigued as he was. I stared at Kuragari. "Kabuto…!?" Naruto asked in shock.

"Naruto, look at his headband." I said keeping my eyes on Kuragari, ready for another attack. Naruto gasped in shock. Kabuto smirked.

"Kabuto… How could you!?" Naruto yelled angrily.

"I was merely a spy all along, Naruto. I was loyal to Orochimaru from the very beginning… but I'm sure Sakura noticed something was off the moment she saw me… Didn't you… Sakura…?" Kabuto asked with a smirk.

"No. Of course not." I rolled my eyes in sarcasm. "With the amount of data you collected, failing six times, and giving up on the seventh? What a joke… The worst gennin I've ever known only failed the exams 3 times before passing…" I said.

"Hmph. Well, Tsunade, I've been searched for you so that you could heal my arms… but I see you've joined up with the Leaf Shinobi again." Orochimaru said. Tsunade glared and attacked Orochimaru. I knew Kabuto wanted a change of scenery and they all ran off. We chased after them.

"So how do you know that girl, anyways…?" Tsunade asked me.

"The Chunnin exams… We know Kabuto as well… from that time… That was when Orochimaru attacked… and of course… since they serve him… they were involved with him." I said.

"You seem to be more familiar with that girl though and she seems to know you better than any average enemy would as well." Jiraiya said. I narrowed my eyes as we rushed forwards. Naruto seemed curious.

"She and I were once… close… You could say… I fought her in the Chunnin exams, in the Forest of Death… I was shocked to see her serving Orochimaru…" I said. I clenched my fist. I still had no idea what her aim was… Why was she doing this?

"Sakura…" Naruto murmured. I noticed my hand was bleeding. The two Sannin and Shizune were looked at me with curious looks.

I sent a spark of healing chakra to my hand and the wound healed quickly without a scar. I dashed forwards and with a burst of speed, I clashed with Kuragari who was ready for me on the field. We jumped apart. The others jumped in.

"Why don't we take our battle somewhere else, _Sakura_. Besides, I'd rather not get in the way of these three Sannin, since we're merely collateral damage to them…" Kuragari said with a smirk. I disappeared and punched at her and she barely dodged as she jumped back. A crater appeared under my fist, and Orochimaru looked slightly surprised along with Kabuto.

"You're not going to catch me if you go easy, Sa-ku-ra." Kuragari said. I got up and clashed with her with my own blade and we used taijutsu blows to attack each other along with using our blades. We attacked each other and I knew the Sannin had started their own battles as well.

* * *

Naruto wanted to fight, but Jiraiya told Naruto he was in over his head. Naruto was riled up by Kabuto's word, and was beaten back. I continued to clash with Kuragari. We both had bleeding wounds, but they weren't quite fatal. I could tell Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru were watching both me and Kuragari with interest before starting their battle… Shizune fought against Kabuto as well.

"You won't get far by just using your skills like this." She said. I glared. We both ran at each other with full force, and I managed to slash at the sleeve over her wrist. I spun around and quickly jumped over at her, clashing my blade with hers and she smirked and ripped off the sleeve, throwing it at me. I slashed the sleeve out of the way and my eyes widened to see her coming at me with stabs and incredible speed. I blocked backing up. "How does it feel to be pushed back like this?" She asked with a smirk.

I sent power rippling through Hyourinmaru and activated his first form, his "Shikai", throwing the chain at the end of the blade with the cresent moon blade at the end to wrap around her blade, since I knew it was only one blade. I tugged on the chain and her blade stopped moving. I jumped over head and she was forced to spin around, almost losing balance, but she pulled her blade out of the grip of the chain. I glared and jumped into the air, calling out for Hyourinmaru.

"Sit upon the frozen heavens… Hyourinmaru!" I filled the blade with chakra and the water dragon appeared as the sky darkened. The weather in the area had changed. I could tell it was most likely due to Hyourinmaru's power. The sannin had turned some of their attention back to me in amazement. The dragon curled around me in a protective stance and I slashed my blade out at Kuragari. The dragon sped at her and she dodged, but some of the water had splashed onto her leg. She jumped back and her leg froze as the ice dragon spiked up into solid ice, barely dodging a large spike that cut into her arm.

I sent another dragon at her and she used her Chidori Nagashi. The second she stopped, I quickly slashed the blade out of her hands, and it stabbed itself into the ground. I wrapped the chain around her left arm, freezing it. She realized when I pulled on the chain, tugging her towards me. I slashed at her chest and she stumbled back sending lightning chakra down her arm. The ice broke and the lightning traveled down the chain. I grabbed the chain and sent wind chakra through it, and it cut at her hand as she let go, but I yelped as she managed to slash her hand that was covered in a chakra scalpel across my forearm, creating a deep cut. It had been my arm or my face. I'd rather my arm.

I cursed and quickly jumped to the blade twirling it expertly and stabbing it deeply into the ground. She sighed in annoyance and threw me the sheath of the blade. She smirked. "It was never mine to begin with." She said smirking. I noticed that the Sannin had just finished their battles as well, and Orochimaru was leaving along with Kabuto. She smirked.

"Till we meet again, my Sakura-chan." She said smirking before disappearing into flames like Sasuke had done in the past when we had finally encountered him after the three years. I knew the blade belonged to Sasuke indeed… I cursed and healed the cut across my forearm so that it stopped bleeding and wrapped it with some bandages.

I pulled the blade out of the ground with my enhanced strength and stared at it. Sasuke… I knew he would be able to learn to use this… I sheathed the blade and slipped it beside Sode no Shiraiyuki under my obi.

* * *

I appeared by the two sannin, Shizune, and the currently unconscious Naruto who was still breathing. He had the necklace on his face. I smiled lightly.

"Looks like he won the bet after all." I said with a light laugh.

"This kid never ceases to amaze me…" Jiraiya said sighing lightly and scratching the back of his head, looking down at Naruto. I knew Tsuande had used the seal ninjutsu, and the jutsu's side effects were going to appear soon. "You never could recognize a fool's bet when you saw it."Jiraiya chuckled. Tsunade looked down at Naruto with hopeful eyes. Her eyes widened slightly, and I could tell her body was in slight pain.

She breathed slightly heavily. "Ugh… The jutsu's side effects…" She murmured. We all noticed that she started to look old again. I wasn't surprised.

"I see…" Jiraiya said, suddenly understanding the cost of using such a powerful jutsu.

"It's alright. If I rest a bit, my younger form will be restored." Tsunade said. "I'll go into town. Then when Naruto has recovered, we can head back to the leaf village." She said. I nodded in agreement with the plan she had.

"Tsunade…" Jiraiya trailed off. Tsunade scoffed.

"I'm alright… It'll take more than a stupid four-eyed kid and a snake to beat me down." Tsunade said. We headed back to town and I helped Shizune take care of Tsunade. Jiraiya kept an eye on Naruto's recovering body. Naruto woke up and we went to the same tavern once again, to eat. I was filling my stomach to recover my strength and Shizune was staring at me. When I finally finished, I sighed and punched the air with my wounded arm.

"Alright. All set." I said with a light smile.

"Wow… For a kid your age, you eat a lot." Tsunade said looking at me in amusement.

"Well, I get an appetite after a long fight. Especially if I'm wounded and weak at the end…" I said shrugging lightly. Naruto sighed.

"So… just who are you, old lady? I mean, you're one of the sannin, but dad never told me about you. I heard about that Orochimaru guy because he attacked the village, and this old perv trained me." Naruto said crossing your arms. "I thought all the sannin were supposed to be well known, but you're just an old hag." I sweat dropped, sensing Tsuande getting pissed off.

"YOU WANNA TAKE THIS OUTSIDE, KID?!" She asked with a glare. Naruto glared back.

I sweat dropped. _"Here we go… Déjà vu all over again… Tsunade's temper around Naruto hasn't changed… That's for sure." _I thought. Jiraiya and Shizune both sighed. Tonton whined slightly annoyed. The two of them fought and Tsunade flicked Naruto's headband off of his head, before kissing him on the forehead. I smiled lightly as she patted him on the heart.

"You'll grow up to be a fine man." Tsunade said with a grin. Naruto blinked in surprise and grinned.

"Hehe! You betcha!" Naruto said scratching the back of his head, flattered. I smiled lightly. Shizune smiled and sighed in relief. Jiraiya chuckled. Tonton made sounds of approval.

"Alright, let's go home everyone! To the leaf village!" Jiraiya said.

"WAIT A SECOND! I HAVEN'T EATEN YET!" Naruto whined. We all burst out laughing at Naruto. "Hey! What's so funny? I've been unconscious! I'm starving!" Naruto whined. We got him some food before we left the town and headed back home. I touched the Kusanagi blade at my waist. I remembered… that dark Sasuke, and the Sasuke filled with hatred… I closed my eyes knowing that he wasn't like that anymore, since I had changed history myself…

* * *

We walked and Tsunade told us we had to go and visit the hot spring village. I decided to relax in my room the whole time. I could sense two chakras from behind the wooden post nearby, but they didn't have any dangerous intent, and their chakra levels weren't high either, so I decided to ignore it. I was settled in the room for the night and held the blade of the Kusanagi, staring up at it, when Shizune knocked on my door. "Sakura, would you like to come with us to go around the village?" She asked.

"No thanks… I need some time to rest for a while. My arm hasn't fully recovered, and my chakra isn't fully restored, so I want to rest a bit more." I said.

"Alright then." Shizune said before leaving the hall. When I sensed the two weak chakras that I had sensed outside the village, enter Naruto's room, I opened my door and peaked out to see two people stealing the necklace. I entered Naruto's room and I wasn't surprised to see a post on the wall for Naruto. I sighed and decided to leave it. Naruto would get the necklace back somehow…

I stared at the blade that Kuragari had used for a short while, remembering that Sasuke had used this blade to do so many things in the past… He had used it to kill, save Sound ninja, serve Orochimaru, and to work for the Akatsuki.

I sighed and sheathed the blade, knowing this time he was different… The people of the village and his family would protect him… They were alive, and the elders were long gone, killed by my attack… I sensed Naruto enter his room and then he panicked and opened my room door. "Sakura-chan!" Naruto called out. I looked at him.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Did you see people enter my room and take my necklace? I've been robbed!" He yelled in a panic.

"I didn't sense anyone dangerous. Let's go see. Let me change first." I said. He nodded and I changed into my training clothes with my 3 blades, before we went into his room again. I gave him the paper after ripping it off the wall and sighed.

"Ehh? I owe money?!" Naruto asked in confusion.

"No, it's probably for Tsunade. That necklace is well known after all… She wouldn't lose it... but they must have thought it was still hers. I'm sure you could easily beat these guys up and get it back." I said sighing. Naruto dragged me to the area and called out to them. Naruto yelled at them to give back his necklace and he attacked them… I sighed lightly in annoyance walking up the hill with crossed arms to catch up to him. The two people Naruto had beaten up with simple Taijutsu looked towards me in surprise.

"I told you they were weak. You didn't need me." I said. The two men looked insulted.

"But Sakura-chan, I was worried!" Naruto said. The two men explain what happened and told us why they tried to steal the necklace. I sighed when they begged us to help them.

"Forget it. This is stupid… I'm going back. She probably doesn't have any money left now. I heard from Shizune she went gambling in town again." I said. "I doubt she has any money to give you though, with her gambling habbits. I'm heading back to the inn…" I said sighing lightly. I walked back toward the inn and I found Shizune running through the village.

"Need help?" I asked.

"Sakura! What a relief! You see…" Shizune explained the situation and I sighed.

"Oh Kami (God)… Seriously… This is a mess… I'm not getting involved in any of this. " I groaned, before turning away and sighing.

"Ehh? But Sakura!" Shizune whined.

"Naruto wouldn't be idiotic enough to get caught by some errand boys who were sent to collect money. I'll just head back..." I said sighing lightly and flickering away to another side of town. I sighed, finally become at peace with the quiet silence in town. I touched the blade and sighed tiredly in annoyance. Why did my past life have to be such a mess…? Now I was remembering the past… even when I had changed it… still… I was a mess…

"Sakura?"

I looked up in surprise to see Tsunade.

"Shishou." I greeted.

"Do you know what's going on? I've been hearing something about me causing a commotion in this town when I've been with Jirocho the whole time…?" Tsunade asked. I sighed.

"Something about you still owing the Akagi family… I'm pretty sure the commotion is with Shizune and Naruto… along with the two errand boys." I said. Tsunade sighed and I followed her. We met up with Naruto and Shizune who was transformed into Tsunade. I stared at them with boredom. We headed to Jirocho's place and I was leaning against the wall, shining Hyourinmaru's blade while they were all staring at Tsunade in shock. They laughed awkwardly when Jirocho read the letter.

"What a waste. I went to all that trouble for what? For nothing!" Naruto whined.

"Wait, was that why you didn't bother helping?" Shizune asked me. I sighed.

"Well, I knew Shishou would figure out what was going on sooner or later. There would be no need for me to interfere, so I decided not to." I said.

"And I'm guessing that this girl is the prodigy apprentice you've been talking about?" Jirocho asked looking at me.

"Yup." Tsunade said with a smile. I sweat dropped and soon enough we left the village, heading back to the Hidden Leaf Village. We got back and reported the basics of the mission to the Fourth Hokage. The Fourth Hokage nodded.

"You've done well Sakura. I want a detailed written report on your mission as soon as possible on the parts until you completed the mission. I will have Jiraiya let me know what else happened on the mission, whenever he feels like turning up… Also, you should go and see Lee. He's recovered and awakened. He wants to thank you. He's been walking around and getting better with Tsunade's medication." Minato said.

I nodded and bowed, leaving the room when I was dismissed. Tsunade told me I could find her at the hospital if I needed her or wanted to accept the apprenticeship. I thanked her for the training and left to head home. I was walking home when I heard someone call my name. "Sakura?" I turned around to see Sasuke with his parents, Itachi and Akane, and Shisui with Asami and Miyuki. Shisui jumped at me.

"Hime-chan!" He said with a wide grin as he jumped at me. I dodged and he fell into the ground. He whined about me not letting him hug me.

"So you're really back!" Sasuke said happily walking to me.

"Yeah." I said smiling and rubbing the back of my head with my bandaged arm.

"You're hurt…" Sasuke said worriedly. I looked at my arm.

"Oh this? It's just a flesh wound. It'll heal with time. I'm fine really." I said with a smile. He seemed slightly worried, but nodded, the worried look leaving his face.

"Oh yeah. Here's a little gift I picked up on my mission." I said smirking lightly. I pulling out the sheathed blade from under my obi and handing it to Sasuke, who looked shocked.

"What?" He asked in surprise.

"It's a blade that allows lightning chakra to flow through it. Since I'm affiliated with wind and water, it has no use to me, so you can have it." I said. Sasuke looked amazed as he took the sword and looked at the blade unsheathing it slightly. "When you channel lightning chakra through the blade, it increases the sharpness greatly through high frequency vibrations and increasing its cutting range. It should allow you to cut through almost anything and if stabbed into a living being, it will numb the target that has been pierced." I said. Sasuke looked amazed.

"For me…?" Sasuke asked looking up. I nodded.

"Keep it and use it." I said. He smiled thankfully and nodded.

"I will." He said. I smiled lightly and nodded.

"We were heading out to greet you since the Hokage said you'd be arriving today at noon, but you seem to have arrived earlier than we expected." Mikoto said. I smiled.

"Yes. I learned a lot on the mission, training under Tsunade-shishou." I said with a soft smile.

"Shishou…?" Shisui asked. I blushed and sweat dropped in embarrassment.

"Ummm heheh… It became a habbit… She told me to call her that…" I said grinning awkwardly.

"That's good! You finally have a teacher for your medical ninjutsu, and it's the best kunoichi in the Land of Fire that's training you! Oh and by the way, Hokage-sama let us know that when you get back we'll be meeting at the Hokage's office for another mission, so I guess its tomorrow morning." Sasuke said.

"We're not meeting up at the bridge?" I asked.

"Kakashi-sensei''s on his own mission." Sasuke said.

"Seriously?" I asked in surprise. Sasuke nodded in confirmation. I sighed and huffed lightly. "Well, I should get home and write my mission report…" I said.

"Make sure you get some rest, dear." Mikoto said. I nodded and left, heading back home with a soft smile.

Things were really going well…

Hopefully, I would be able to stop the Akatsuki's true plan.

The Moon's Eye Plan…

* * *

**Yosh! I finished it! LOOOL! I worked hard all day trying to get back into the mood of typing this. It's really hard once you stop for a while. =.=''' I hate school... interupting my writing time! O_O''' I FINALLY UPDATED THO! YAY! :D**

**Sasuke: -sigh-**

**Yuki: meow...**

**Sakura: ...**

**Itachi: Hn...**

**Shisui: Ano... author-san?**

**SasuLovesSaku4Ever: yeah?**

**Shisui: Why is everyone wearing weird costumes...?**

**SasuLovesSaku4Ever: -grins- Cuz I won my bet. I bet my guy friend would ask me out soon. They bet he wouldn't cuz I was annoying... but I rejected him in the end... If he actually does find this and read this though, I think he'd be embarrassed... He's really shy. I still feel bad for rejecting him... but anyways, I forced them to cosplay as bleach characters for a day.**

**Shisui: I see... Well, have fun you guys! (leaves)**

**Sasuke and Sakura: (Ishida and Orihime): Can we kill him later?**

**Itachi (Byakuya): Go ahead.**

**Yuki (Kon) : -hisss-**

**SasuLovesSaku4Ever: Well... You guys can't kill me anyways because I'd torture you even more by not writing for a long time... but I won't be writing for a long time anyways... sadly... I hate school... -whine-**


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